Soft shell boots and waterproof/breathable moisture transfer composites and liner for inline skates, ice-skates, hockey skates, snowboard boots, alpine boots, hiking boots and the like

ABSTRACT

The soft boot and liner include a moisture transfer system that includes an inner fabric layer carefully selected from technically advanced fabrics. A series of layers are provided outside the inner liner including foam material layers, spacer fabrics and breathable membranes, in various orders. Encapsulation technology and waterproofing are used as well. The outer fabric layer is also capable of working with the other layers to promote the transfer of moisture. Frothed foams and flocking with fibers are further characteristics of the present invention. The moisture transfer system is incorporated into a soft boot or skate or as a removable liner for a shell boot. Numerous other modifications and applications are disclosed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to composite materials, removable insertliners and completed product constructions with a non-removable linerused in a variety of applications. For example, the liner of the presentinvention may be employed in a variety of applications includingin-line, ice or hockey skates (shell and soft boot) and the like. Thisliner system composite may be utilized for all weather boots and alpineand hiking applications. The liner is breathable, transfers moisture andwaterproof to increase comfort for the skater. The liner may containthermal fibers, thermal PCM encapsulated molecules or fibers and/or asilica, acrylic, polyester fiber based polymers micro-spheres or thelike containing air, polymers or liquid fibers that aid in cooling orthermal regulating temperatures during performance and are capable ofabsorbing an electrical charge. The micro-sphere encapsulating the air,polymer or electrically sensitive to thermal absorbing material may beconstructed of an inherently conductive polymer such as those created bythe Polymer Research Institute in New South Wales, Australia.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various types of liners are known in prior art. These liners aredesigned to provide certain levels of comfort and durability.Furthermore, in-line skates are also well-known in the art as evidencedby U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,340,132; 5,397,141; and 5,437,466. Of these patents,only U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,466 discloses what is commonly referred to as a“soft-boot”. In other words, the shoe body is made of a soft, pliablematerial. General statements are provided about the materials used forthe shoe body, but not in great detail. All of the patents listed aboveare hereby incorporated by reference.

However, the liners in ice hockey and in-line skates, as well assnowboard boots, etc., known in the art do not provide the advantagesrealized by the present invention. With the art of hockey and in-lineskating becoming increasingly recreational, numerous categories ofskaters are developing in large numbers. The present inventor hasrecognized the problems faced by the aggressive and the recreationalcategories of skaters and has developed a liner to overcome suchproblems.

There is an ongoing need for comfort, moisture transfer, breathability,and support for both removable liners as well as non-removable hockey,ice and soft boot liners. In prior removable liner design, theconventional liner is often constructed with rigid, non-breathable outermaterials such as vinyls, foams, and nylons. The inner liners have beenleather, nylon, or polyester blends which extremely limited the abilityto breathe or wick moisture away from a skater's body. These materialshave prevented the foot from breathing adequately. In the case of “shellboot” skates, the plastic material that forms the outer shell bootstructure holds the heat and moisture inside the boot. As a result, thelining becomes saturated with sweat which adversely affects the skater'scomfort and performance level. This problem is even worse with theaggressive hockey skaters whose needs for proper ventilation are evengreater.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide a lining systememploying a cooler, warmer, drier and more breathable liner that meetsthe needs of each individual skater. Accordingly, the liner of thepresent invention can be accommodated to the needs of skaters of variousskill categories by permitting the inner liner material, which isagainst the foot, to vary in fiber content and construction.

This object of the present invention is realized by providing a liningsystem having lining materials which acts as a moisture transfer systemand poses inherent moisture transfer polymers fibers and absorbentnatural and synthetic fibers. The fibers may be combined in knits,wovens, nonwovens or in a combined construction of two or moreconstructions. An example of a combined construction is a warp-knitfabric such as such as the SENSITIVE Fabrics. Moisture vapors aretransferred through the liner from one side to the other side by amulti-layered technically engineered fiber and foam system. In severalcomposite systems the technically nonwoven fibers replace the foam. Thisis accomplished by utilizing certain materials in a manner determined bythe inventor after considerable experimentation and effort. The detailsof the specific materials as used in the combination are disclosed inthe Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments.

The moisture transferring lining system of the present inventionovercomes the problems in the prior art lining systems and liners andmeets the needs of even the most aggressive skaters.

Various other objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill become readily apparent in view of the following detaileddescription of the preferred embodiments in conjunction with thedrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a first portion of the liner according to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a second portion of the liner according to a firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the liner according to the firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates the liner shown in FIG. 3 as applied to an inlineskate.

FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) illustrate a sole portion of a shoe constructedaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a tongue portion of a shoe constructedaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a more detailed view of the liner portion used forthe tongue of FIGS. 6 and 7 .

FIG. 9 illustrates a portion of the liner used in the upper cuff area.

FIG. 10 illustrates the travel of moisture through a breathable,reticulated foam then a flexible mesh and into and through a breathablemembrane according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 illustrates the toe portion of a shoe according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates an overall drawing of a snowboard boot, soft alpineboot, alpine or hiking boot which will incorporate the lining materialof the present invention.

FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate an insert for an in-line skate or hockeyskate with a first portion enlarged.

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate another embodiment of an insert for anin-line skate or hockey skate with a second portion enlarged.

FIGS. 15A and 15B illustrate another embodiment of an insert for anin-line skate or hockey skate with a third portion enlarged.

FIGS. 16A, 16B and 16C illustrate an insert for a soft-shell alpine bootwith first and second portions enlarged.

FIGS. 17A, 17B and 17C illustrate an insert for a soft-shell alpine bootwith first, second and third portions enlarged.

FIGS. 18A and 18B illustrates a soft-shell alpine boot exterior shellcomposite with a first portion enlarged.

FIGS. 19A and 19B illustrates a soft-shell alpine boot exterior shellcomposite with a first portion enlarged.

FIG. 20 is a polymer shell for a hockey skate including a moisturetransfer liner.

FIG. 21 illustrates soft-shell in-line skate or the like exterior shellcomposite.

FIG. 22 illustrates grooved fibers.

FIG. 23 illustrates grooved fibers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention is undertaken in connection with the drawings. Thisdescription, while undertaken with respect to the disclosed embodiments,is intended to enable a variety of different applications and slightmodifications which form a part of the present invention. Morespecifically, many of the materials used in this lining system have beendeveloped relatively recently, and in many cases are still beingmodified and improved.

Where possible, trade names of specific products have been used toassist in the understanding of the invention. The lining systemaccording to the present invention can be easily adapted to accommodatefurther developments currently envisioned are set forth below.

FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of the liner, or lining system, accordingto a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , afirst foam (20) is provided between an inner liner (10) and a secondfoam or nonwoven material (30). The inner liner (10) can be attached tothe first foam material (20) by lamination, stitch, needled orultrasonically bonded, or the like. The second foam (30) is a germicidalanti-microbial reticulated and/or hydrophilic open cell foam and has athickness of approximately 1/16 to ¼ inch. Optionally, the first andsecond foam layers 20 and 30 may be a nonwoven and foam composite, afoam included in a nonwoven fiber or a foam with selected fibers flockedor needled fabric into either side. The first foam material is alsopreferably germicidal reticulated or open-cell hydrophilic and has athickness of approximately 1/16-⅛ inch. Alternatively, the first andsecond foam may be replaced by a technically engineered, nonwoven fiberblend with or without open cell foam inclusive or an moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite or a foam and nonwoven fibercomposite. A technically engineered nonwoven spacer fabric with naturaland/or synthetic fibers can be substituted in some performancecategories and be utilized in layers 20 and 30. The moisturetransferring nonwoven or nonwoven and foam layers are combined byneedling, lamination, ultrasonic bonding, flocking or the like to theback of the inner lining fabric. The spacer fabric may also be combinedwith the nonwoven composite with or with out foam in the same manner asmentioned above.

The elastomeric patent and process patent listed below are herebyincorporated by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,966, entitled “NonwovenFabric Composite Having Multi-directional Stretch Properties Utilizing aCellular or Foam Layer”, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,479,009 B1, entitled“Method For Producing Nonwoven Fabric Composite Having Multi-directionalStretch Properties Utilizing a Cellular or Foam Layer”.

The elastomeric cellular process is further developed in thisapplication with a combined wet lay and/or dry lay process. The polymerbase and aqueous phase are sprayed from the jets and combined during thewater jet or air pressurization with the fiber mesh. The selected fiberblend is distributed on a screen bed is fused in one process as thepolymer and aqueous phase combine with the fiber surface, react andsolidifies. The polymer base reacts and solidifies as the aqueous phaseis combined during the pressurization. All three elements, the polymerbase, the aqueous phase and the fibers, are fused together with pressureon the screen surface creating an elastomeric, cellular nonwovenproduct.

This water or air jet combines the polymer base and aqueous solutionduring the active spray and pressurization and can regulate the amountof polymer or aqueous phase needed for selected performance categoriesin this invention.

All the nonwovens in this invention are selected for the inherentability to transfer and/or absorb moisture and may have anti-microbialsilver fibers by Foss, Static or the like added to the blend. In anumber of options, the fibers included in the inner lining material, ornonwoven top sheet are embedded in the foam and possess anti-microbial,thermal and conductive properties. All of the foam materials used in thepresent invention are assumed to be breathable, hydrophilic, open celland their thickness is variable. Depending on the application, some ofthe foam materials may not be used and the thickness of any foammaterial or spacer fabrics that is used can be changed as needed. Allthe foams in this application may include Microsphere Technology. Forexample, a foam called Aquazone, Premium, VPF by Foamex, Comfortemp byFrisby or the like, Netsorb by Vita Olympic, CoFoam Hydrophilix, orDri-Z by Dicon, hydrophilic foam with nonwoven fibers or the like can beused. Preferably, the germicidal, anti-microbial hydrophilic, flockedfiber open cell hydrophilic foam or a reticulated foam is treated with asurfactant to increase the moisture transfer rate. These chemicalfriendly additives can be combined directly into the foam polymer or maybe applied after the foam is created. A hydrophilic coating such as thatcreated by Ciba Specialty Chemicals (ULTRAPHIL), Wisconsin GlobalTechnology or the like may be added to the foam matrix or nonwovenabutting the foam. The foam can be attached to a non-woven top sheet ofsynthetic or natural fibers. The fibers may be flocked into the foam oradded to the liquid polymer. The preferably, nonwoven fiber selectionincludes wood pulp and cotton, corn, kapok, lyocel, acrylic,chlorofibre, acetate, wool, hemp, polypropylene, polyester, rayon,LYCRA®, elastine, SPANDEX®, elastine or SPANDEX® or a combinationthereof. This top sheet is designed to absorb and move moisture. Theaddition of LYCRA®, elastine, SPANDEX® or elastine or SPANDEX® toachieve stretchable properties are optional. Evolon®, a product byFreudenberg with or without stretchable properties, may be used as a topsheet option in any layer in this invention. Nonwovens by Freudenbergwith elastomeric or stretchable properties are preferred in thisinvention in some performance categories. However, any nonwoven that iscomprised of absorbent and moisture transferring properties with orwithout stretchable characteristics can be applied. In some optionstubular knits can be used for protective gear or skate liner uppers,tongues, heels cups or toe boxes. The nonwoven or nonwoven knitted layercan be ionized to increase the moisture transfer and enhanceperformance.

The nonwoven may contain one or more combinations of split fibers,hollow fibers, grooved fibers (see FIGS. 22 and 23 ), shaped fibers,anti-microbial fibers or treatments. In some options the nonwoven layeris the inner lining material or outer shell material selection. Themoisture transfer nonwoven antimicrobial composite comprised of amoisture transfer nonwoven, open cell foam layer abutting anothermoisture transfer nonwoven may comprise the entire liner in a skate,hockey or helmet. The breathable moisture transfer composite system maybe enhanced with phase change technologies or additional fibertechnology benefits.

The select nature and synthetic fibers and shaped, hollow and splitfibers in the nonwoven group have inherent moisture transfer andabsorption properties and can be treated with a number of MVTsurfactants or wicking solution to increase performance. InteraTechnology, Ultraphil, nano-technology or the like are treatments thatenhance moisture transfer performance. Nano-technology may be applied tothe nonwoven fibers to enhance moisture transfer or waterproof thenonwoven layer. Nano-Technology by Burlington Technologies or TorayIndustries is preferable. Cofoam, a hydrophilic foam treatment byHydrophilix may be applied to the foam or nonwovens to increase the rateof transfer. Coolfix which is developed by Trend Technology, WisconsinGlobal Technology or Feran Ice Process may be included in this nonwovenlayer fiber, fabric foam layers or combinations in this application. Thenonwoven top sheet construction may optionally be replaced by a knittedfiber construction. The nonwoven top sheet or knitted fiber constructionmay be utilized for a scrum on either side of a foam or thermalnonwoven. The selected nonwoven fiber or blend of fibers may beinclusive in the thermal nonwoven blend, the foam or nonwoven wet-laid,spun bond or needle punch product may be inclusive in the foam. Thenonwoven fibers in this application are extremely important and they areselected for the abilities, as stated previously, to transfer moisture,absorb, increase or decrease temperature and provide stability. They areboth active and passive in their performance. The polyester fiberinclusive in the nonwoven top sheet, knitted layer or layers of thethermal composites is preferably a shaped fiber such as the 4-8 deepgroove polyester fiber or a variation of the shaped polyester fiberpreferably, manufactured by the F.I.T Group or the like. A shaped (CCF)fiber by Clemson University or a Technofine polyester fiber by Gelanotsmay be an option in this layer. These technically engineered polyestershaped fibers provide channels for the moisture to travel along andtransfer quickly to the exterior surface. The shaped fabrics may becombined with an active carbon compound such as that by Craghoppers orsilica gel which increases the absorbent factor. Response Technology byCraghoppers is an option in this application for the inner liningpolyester fibers and nonwoven and/or foam composites. A selection ofshaped natural and synthetic fibers as well as polyester such as corn,acrylic, acetate and the like may be included in any layer in themoisture transfer system. The elastomeric cellular composite referencedin the U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,966 may include the selected nonwoven andshaped fibers discussed previously. Optionally, the moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite may be used in place of the nonwoventop sheet on either side of the foam or thermal nonwoven or in place ofthe selected foam. In some performance categories the moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite may be mechanically or ultrasonicallybonded to the inner lining material abutting the foam, nonwoven orthermal nonwoven. The moisture transfer, breathable, elastomericcomposite contains synthetic and natural fibers and foam. These fibersmay be treated with wetting solutions and/or hydrophilic foam suchCofoam as well as that by Hydrophilix Inc. (U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/823,129) The moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric compositemay be applied to the thermal nonwoven on either side or be mechanicallyor ultrasonically bonded to the thermal nonwoven. The moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite may be attached or included in anylayer in the moisture transfer system or may be in any layer in themoisture transfer system excluding the exterior shell fabric.

The Cofoam, breathable foam or the like may be used as the selected foamin the moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite or beapplied to any layer in the moisture transfer system. Cofoam may be usedin place of the selected open cell foam or in combination with any layerin the moisture transfer system. The Cofoam may be combined with thethermal blend by Foss Manufacturing, INVISTA® thermal nonwovens such asTHERMOLITE, Ultrathin or with 3M thermal nonwovens such as THINSULITE,nonwoven by Millennium or the like.

The nonwoven top sheet may be a dry-laid, wet laid, melt blown, spunbond or a needle punch product or a knitted scrum. The selected fibers,fiber construction and treatment of the nonwoven top sheet are a keyelement in the moisture absorption and transfer properties in thesystem. The nonwoven may or may not require a wicking solution ortreatment. The product category and performance level determines theselection of treatment and the fiber or combination of is a wet laidapertured nonwoven top sheet.

The selected nonwoven top sheets are manufactured by INVISTA® (SonatraTechnology nonwoven), Alhstrom Nonwovens, Dexter Synthetics, Freudenbergnonwovens, Veritex, Nordlys, or the like. All nonwoven fibers in thisapplication possess either active or passive moisture transfer abilitiesor both. The nonwoven blends may have elastic properties, polymer orsilica microspheres or encapsulated PCM technology added with variousfibers or fiber blends.

The preferable construction contains cooling and/or heating propertiesand elastine or SPANDEX® fibers. The Outlast melt spun fiber may be anoption in this layer or in the thermal nonwoven layer. In some optionsthe nonwoven fibers in the top sheet may be wrapped by another fiber orcoated with hydrophilic foam spray. The foam and fiber composite,nonwoven fabric or the moisture transfer, breathable, elastomericcomposite may be coated with a hydrophilic foam such by Hydrophilix ortreated with Ultraphil, Coolfix or the like to increase the MVT functionand the cooling or thermal application. Optionally, layer 20 may beeliminated when the hydrophilic foam, Cofoam by Hydrophilix or the likeis applied or sprayed to the back of the inner lining fabric or materialor to the abutting nonwoven. In fact, Cofoam, breathable foam or thelike may be substituted for any foam layer in this application creatingan extremely thin lining or outer lining moisture transfer composite.The inner lining fabric coated with Cofoam abutting the nonwoven or thenonwoven coated with Cofoam abutting the inner lining material may abuta spacer fabric, a cellulose material by Fox Run, a foam and polymermesh composite or the outer shell fabric for use in several of thedefined categories discussed in this application.

However, in a number of categories the nonwoven abutting the innerlining fabric or material in layer 10 or foam in layer 20 is a thermalspun bond, melt-blown or needle punch product. The preferable thermalnonwoven is a needle punch product by Foss Manufacturing containing ablend of deep groove polyester fibers, silver fibers and natural orsynthetic fibers. The nonwoven composite developed by BaycharTechnologies and manufactured by Foss Manufacturing referred to as theFoss composites is constructed of a number of layers and contains fiberssuch as elastine or SPANDEX®, lyocel, PVA, silver fibers, shaped, hollowand/or grooved polyester or like or a blend needled together with orwithout foam. Alternatively, the nonwoven composite developed at FossManufacturing may be constructed with a nonwoven thermal by INVISTA®such as Ultralite, THERMOLITE or the like or the Foss composite may havea 3M nonwoven included such as THINSULITE 100, 200, 300 or the like.These composites transfer moisture and thermally regulate the product byincreasing or decreasing the fiber content or treated fibers. Of course,Invista, INVISTA®, 3M and Foss nonwovens may be used in place of themoisture transfer nonwoven composite developed at Foss ManufacturingLLC. in any layer between the inner material and outer shell fabric.

The selected nonwoven thermal, shaped, hollowed or grooved fibersoptionally may be flocked to the back side of the inner lining material,the exterior shell fabric or to any foam, foam composite such as themoisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite, breathablemembrane, thermal or thermal composite containing shaped and hollowfibers with or without a foam layer or polymer layer treatment. Fibersmay be flocked as well to the foam inclusive of the nonwoven fibers,nonwoven sheet or polymer mesh. The flocked fiber or blended fibersoptionally may be flocked to both sides of the nonwoven, breathablemembrane, breathable adhesive or open cell foam. The thermal nonwoven,THERMOLITE INVISTA® or THINSULITE by 3M optionally may be attached tothe foam inclusive of the fibers or polymer mesh or both or may includeda foam layer.

The previously mentioned, aperture nonwoven alternatively may bemechanically bonded to the foam layer in 20, 30, 50 on one side or bothsides. Optionally, the apertured nonwoven and breathable foam compositecombination may be combined with the thermal nonwoven, nonwovencomposite with or without a foam material or a flocked composite blendapplied to the wet, dry polymer laid nonwoven or foam surface. In someoptions the nonwoven, foam and polymer mesh layer may be needled orultrasonically bonded to the thermal nonwoven. The preferred hydrophilicfoams are developed by Dicon Foams, Vita Olympic, Hydrophilix,Rubberlite, Lendall, Dynamic, Alpin foams or Foamex foams distributed byRogers Corporation or the like.

The breathable, foam or foam and nonwoven laminated or weldedcombinations in layer 20 or 30 as previously suggested may be optionallyreplaced by a needle punched nonwoven with or without foam, preferablythe Foss composite or by the moisture transfer, breathable, elastomericcomposite having a foam fused with nonwoven fibers formed in a singleprocess.

The inner liner fabric is a moisture transfer fabric capable of wickingmoisture. The inner liner 10 is preferably constructed using specificfabrics possessing certain desired characteristics, but with varyingfiber compositions. A list of fabrics which can be employed dependingupon the individual needs of their application as well as the individualneeds of each skater are provided below. These fabrics may be usedeither individually or in combination. The following inner moisturetransfer liner 10 materials may also be replaced by new moisturetransfer fabrics with similar characteristics as the technology on themarket develops for this invention. The technical engineering of severalfiber constructions and combinations is employed in this application. Aflocked fiber blends may be added to the back of the inner lining orshell fabric material.

The multi-faceted shaped polymer based synthetic and natural fiberblends lend endless possibilities in construction to the first layer.These new shaped fibers increase moisture transfer, cooling and heatingapplications and increase performance levels. Moisture transfer ratesand thermal properties vary with the performance criteria.

The first fabric or nonwoven is a moisture transfer material capable ofwicking moisture. These fabrics and materials may be treated withwicking solutions to increase the moisture transfer rates. The innerliner 10 is preferably constructed using specific fabrics possessingcertain desired characteristics. The fiber blends and construction mayvary with the products and performance needs.

A list of fabrics which can be employed depending upon the individualneeds of each skater are provided below. These fabrics or nonwovens maybe used individually or in combination. All fabrics or nonwovens in thefirst layer may be treated with a wicking solution such as Coolfix,Ultraphil or the like and must provide active as well as passivemoisture transfer capabilities. Fabric or nonwoven construction, fiberselection and MVT surfactants and/or coating may be employed in multiplecombinations in this first layer 10 to increase the transfer rate.Optionally the first layer is a multi-tiered construction containingflocked fibers on the back of an elastomeric or needle punch nonwoven.The first layer alternatively may have fibers flocked to the back sideof the inner moisture transfer fabric or nonwoven lining materialabutting the foam layer, foam and nonwoven blend or a nonwoven layer.This multi-tiered construction absorbs and transfer moisture and may betreated with a cooling microsphere coating or spray or chemical option.The inner lining material may further include an active carbon compoundto increase the moisture transfer as well as shaped and silver fibers.

The following inner moisture transfer liner materials may also bereplaced by new moisture transfer fabrics with similar characteristicsas the technical textiles technology on the market develops for thisinvention.

The first fabric is an anti-microbial, anti-fungal polypropylene (alsoreferred to as polyolefin) containing LYCRA®, blend (2%) with INNOVAfiber, elastine or SPANDEX® fibers or the like. INNOVA is a continuousfilament fiber (manufactured by Coville, Deercreek fabrics.)

The second fabric is an anti-microbial, anti-fungal polypropylene,polyester or polyester blend having a polyester or cotton, corn orlyocel backing or the like (such as that manufactured by Coville, Inc.This fabric has the face of one fiber and the backing of another and mayvary in composition depending on the performance level of the skater.

The third fabric is an anti-microbial, anti-fungal polypropylene/cottonblend with ALPHA fiber, or the like (such as that manufactured by IntexFabric, Inc.)

The fourth fabric is a Field Sensor® polyester with waffle-weaveconstruction (such as that distributed by Yagi & Co., Inc. andmanufactured by Toray). This fabric is constructed to transfer moistureimmediately away from the foot and performs best as the liner for thesoft-boot in-line skate. Alternatively, a polyester material known asAqua-Dry®, distributed by Teijin Shojin can be employed or the like.

The fifth fabric is a Technofine polyester shaped fiber by Gelanots.

The sixth fabric is 3×Dry process fabrics or by Schoeller.

The seventh fabric is a two-layered fabric by Feron Ice process on asynthetic or natural fiber or a blend of natural and synthetic fibers.

The eighth fabric or nonwoven is made from corn fibers or a blend ofcorn fibers with one or more of the following fibers, elastine orSPANDEX®, lyocel, acretate, PVA and polyester.

The ninth fabric is polyester fabric with an active carbon compoundbonded to the polyester by a fabric Craghoppers.

The tenth fabric group are fabrics by Burlington Technologies containNano-Technology called Nano-Dry Fabrics.

The eleventh fabric materials is a synthetic leather preferably byNextec of Italy, SISA or Clarino.

The twelfth fabric Technofine polyesters by Gelanots.

The thirteenth fabric is a Dri-release fabrics by Optimer Performancefibers.

The fourteenth fabric is Dri-line and Sphere Technology fabrics by NIKE.

The fifteenth fabric is Polyguard guard by KOSA.

The sixteenth fabric group is Dry-tech Comfort System fabrics byWestcot.

The seventeenth fabric group are Thermal Pro Fabrics by Malden.

The eighteenth fabric group is the Gore Windstopper N2S.

The nineteenth group is Polartec Powerdry.

The twentieth fabric is a fabric called Aquafil Dryarn by Rhovyl inFrance and Italy.

The twenty-first fabrics Sterling Performance fabric.

The twenty-second fabric is Dryline by Milliken.

The twenty-third fabrics are corn fibers and fabrics by Draper Knitting.

The twenty-fourth fabric is Acrillian or Duraspun by Monsanto.

The twenty-fifth fabric is a hydrophilic, anti-microbial Dri-Lex BabyKid or perforated material (such as that manufactured by Faytex Corp.).

The twenty-sixth fabric is a polyester looped terry (such as thatmanufactured by Fronfli Spundale Mills, Inc.).

The twenty-seventh fabric is a suede/sanded polyester micro-fibermaterial (such as that distributed by Yagi & Co., Inc. and TeijinShojin, Inc., Millken or Malden Mills).

The twenty-eighth fabric is an anti-microbial, anti-fungal PolarTecSeries 2000, which is a wickable, moisture transfer fiber, containingLYCRA®, elastine, SPANDEX®, polypropylene, or the like.

The thirtieth fabric group are Sensitive Fabrics.

The thirty-first fabric are polyester fabrics by Coville.

The thirty-second nonwoven fabric is Evolon® nonwoven by Freudenberg.

The thirty-third fabric is nonwoven moisture transfer wool compositeblend by Foss Manufacturing.

The thirty-fourth nonwoven inner lining selection is Evolon® a splitfiber technology and process and Novolon® technology, a product byFreudenberg with or without stretchable properties. The Evolon® andNovolon® may have a suede or brushed surface. The invention furtherincludes all up-grades to the split fiber technology and process forEvolon® and Novolon® products by Freudenberg, the Nonwoven Cooperativeat NCSU or the like.

Nano-technology may be applied to any selected shell fibers, nonwoven orfabric to enhance moisture transfer or to waterproof the exterior shellmaterial. Nano-technology by Burlington Technologies or Toray Industriesis preferable. The selected exterior material is breathable, moisturetransfer and waterproof. The selected rates of functionality aredetermined by the product and the performance level of the product. Thebreathable and moisture transfer rates are not ambiguous orunderdetermined. The selected nonwovens and fabrics have determinedrates that can be increased or decreased with the applied technologiesand selected performance needs of the product line. Fabric or nonwovenvender supplies product rates at the request of the product company.Enhancing and additional technology varies the rate of functionality perproduct group.

Any of these fabrics and nonwoven top sheets may have the selectednonwoven fibers flocked to the back surface or may be laminated to afoam that has the nonwoven fibers flocked into the back of the foam. Theadditional flocked surface of moisture transfer fibers and optionalanti-microbial properties allows increased functionality in the singlelayer material. All of these fabrics have good moisture transfercharacteristics which prevent damage to a skater's or snowboarder's footby preventing excessive moisture build-up. The moisture transfer innerfabrics may vary in composition and structure in this liner system asfiber technology advances.

This application constructs the following inner lining compositeconstructions. As stated previously, all inner lining materials andfabrics are laminated, needled, stitched, ultrasonically bonded,adhesively bonded or mechanically bonded to the abutting nonwoven orfoam material. The inner lining materials or fabrics may be selectedfrom the previous list.

The first is an inner lining fabric or material abutting an open cell,hydrophilic foam laminated or needled to a nonwoven material.

The second is an inner lining fabric or material abutting an open-cell,hydrophilic foam where the nonwoven fibers have been flocked into theback of the foam, inner lining fabric or breathable membrane between theinner lining material and foam.

The third is an inner lining material or fabric with an elastomericcellular composite such as that referenced in U.S. Pat. No. 6,074,966which is mechanically or ultrasonically bonded to the inner liningmaterial.

The fourth is an inner lining material or fabric abutting a open-cell,hydrophilic foam with the elastomeric cellular composite mechanically orultrasonically bonded to the foam layer on either side or on both sides.

The fifth inner lining composite construction is an inner liningmaterial or fabric abutting a Foss nonwoven composite constructed of oneor more of the following fibers, polyester (preferably 4 Deep Groove byF.I.T. or a variation by Foss Manufacturing), lyocel or acetate, corn,wood pulp cellulose and silver fibers.

The sixth is an inner lining fabric or material with the foam andnonwoven fibers flocked into the back surface.

The seventh is an inner lining fabric or material abutting a foam layer.The foam is inclusive of a nonwoven layer or fibers.

The eighth is an inner lining fabric or material abutting a moisturetransfer, nonwoven spacer material. Variations of the inner liningcomposite are on going and are suggested in multiple combinations. Theintent of the moisture transfer system is to provide a completetechnical solution in an extremely thin increment to accommodate thecomfort needs of the user.

All of the above composite options are presumed breathable and transfermoisture. The inner lining composite abuts second open cell hydrophilicfoam, nonwoven composite of foam and nonwoven and/or a thermal nonwoven,a spacer fabric or polymer mesh and the exterior shell fabric and/ormaterial, skeletal polymer shell or a combination of one or more. Abreathable membrane may be inserted between the exterior shell fabricand the nonwoven, spacer product, cellulose material, polymer mesh orfoam layer.

In one option, a combination of breathable, foam and nonwoven, a foamand a thermal nonwoven or a foam and spacer fabric or polymer mesh arepositioned in layer 30 abutting a spacer fabric, cellulose material orexterior shell material. The above combinations are suggested for use inice and hockey skates, protective gear, helmets and accessories such asgloves.

The moisture transfer characteristics of the inner liner composite allowmoisture vapors to be passed from a skater's or snowboarder's bodythrough the inner liner 10 where it then comes into contact with thefirst foam material 20. The moisture vapors travel through the firstfoam material 20 and come into contact with the abutting nonwoven, foam,spacer or cellulose material 30. In some performance categories theaperture nonwoven may be eliminated between layer 20 and 30 or the foamin layer 30 may be a spacer fabric or thermal nonwoven product orcomposite is applied. The spacer fabric and thermal nonwoven areoptional as well in layer 30 and are used to provide comfort and warmth.In the thinner applications such as in the hockey and ice skate, theinner lining composite abuts the outer shell fabric and polymer shell.The performance category determines the materials and combination ofmaterials in layer 30.

In another liner option consists of an exterior shell fabric, a frothed,breathable, open cell foam or free rise foam abutting a nonwoven ornonwoven thermal layer preferably by Foss Manufacturing, Invista,INVISTA®, 3M or the like and the inner lining material. The breathablefoam layer may contain fiber and/or a polymer mesh. Phase ChangeTechnology may be added to the selected nonwoven, flocked fibers orcomposite or a nonwoven by Outlast, Freudenberg, Alhstrom, KimberleyClark or the like Wisconsin Global may be used abutting the exteriorshell fabric material

As discussed above, first foam material 20 may be a moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric cellular composite comprised of a layer ofgermicidal, anti-microbial, open-cell hydrophilic, polyurethane foamsuch as Foamex foams (VPF, Aquazone®), Dicon foams or the like and anon-woven top sheet. Alternatively, a frothed polymer and fibercombination made in one process can be used in this layer or others Allof the foam materials discussed herein are preferably breathable, opencell, free rise foam, slap foams, frothed foams or foamed coatings madeof polyurethane, although not specifically mentioned each time. Theinclusive top sheet is preferably composed of wood pulp, rayon, elastineor SPANDEX®, corn, cotton, lyocel, PVA, silver fiber, polypropylene,polyester, or a combination thereof.

Alternatively, foam material 20 can be a foam layer that is separatefrom the non-woven top sheet and is attached to the non-woven top sheetby lamination, stitch bonding, adhesive or the like. The non-woven topsheet (when used) with or without elastine or SPANDEX® fibers abuts thenext layer of 1/16-¼″ reticulated and/or open cell hydrophilic foam, orsecond foam material 30. The second foam material 30 (when used) mayalso be a breathable, germicidal, anti-microbial, reticulated and/oropen cell hydrophilic 1/16/¼″ foam such as Aquazone with or withoutsurfactants, wicking solutions and/or PCM Technologies, SphereTechnology applied or Comfortemp. The first layer 20 or the second foammaterial in layer 30 may contain a moldable mesh such as that developedby Naltex or Conwed in some embodiments. The polymer mesh inclusive inthe open cell foam or laminated to the open cell foam can be in appliedto any foam layer in this moisture transfer system. The foam may alsoinclude a fiber or a group of fibers as well as the polymer mesh. Thesecond foam material is preferably intergraded or backed with anon-woven top sheet as mentioned above. In fact, any of the foammaterials discussed herein can be intergraded or backed by such anon-woven top sheet or an elastomeric nonwoven may be applied. Thenon-woven top sheet is not necessary and can be removed in a number ofoptions. Also, many of the foam materials are interchangeable dependingupon specific needs of the skater. The nonwoven apertured top sheet iscomprised of cotton, wood pulp, lyocel, silver fiber, PVA, polypropyleneor polyester or a combination thereof.

The previous fibers may be flocked into the back of the foam layer 20,30, or 50 or additional layers. A nonwoven layer, moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite or thermal nonwoven composite may becombined with the foam layer and flocked fibers and foam layer orflocked fibers and inner lining material.

One preferable embodiment for a hockey skate moisture transfer linercombines the inner lining material laminated to a foam layer withflocked fiber backing the inner lining or foam and a spacer fabric orpolymer mesh and the exterior shell fabric.

As shown in FIG. 2 , a third foam material 50 provides support and hassimilar characteristics to the second foam material 30 Layer. Layer 30allows the moisture vapors to continue their movement to the outerlayers of the composite or shell layer if the shell has a breathableexterior layer. Optionally, the foam may contain a polymer mesh. Thelayer 50 is a slow recovery moldable foam (by Poron or Foamex), or apolyurethane reticulated and/or open cell hydrophilic, anti-microbialfoam or a spacer material that functions like a moldable foam and iscomposed of polypropylene and polyester or a breathable foam highdensity foam by Rubberlite. The spacer fabric is formed in certain areasto take the shape of an ankle, heel pocket, and foot bones. Layer 50 isoptional and is based on the needs of the product and performance level.The spacer fabrics are engineered with fibers that increase moisturetransfer movement. Layer 50 may abut layer 20 in some performancecategories. An air bladder may also be added in the area around theankle in place of the third foam or spacer fabric material. Layer 50 maybe a combination of a moldable foam and spacer fabric shaped to aid inperformance and support. The air bladder may be inflated by pumping thereflective grip 410 just under the pull tab. An air bladder may be addedin the tongue or toe area or in the cuff. Furthermore, spacer fabricsmay also be used in place of the foam or bladder in the tongue. Themoldable polyester, polyamide, polypropylene spacer materials may besuch as those manufactured by Muller, Schiebler, Peltzer or Fugafil orthe like in varying combinations. The environmental acceptability ofmany foam materials is an important factor to consider when selectingthe proper materials. Material 50 is positioned so as to allow themoisture to pass through into subsequent elements, such aswaterproof/breathable membrane 60 and the outer shell 70, or anencapsulated outer fabric of the overall lining system. The outer fabricmay also be treated with a waterproof film and may be combinedencapsulated technology. The third foam, cellulose material, foamcomposite or spacer material can be designed to provide a well definedheel lift and heel pocket. The pocket may also contain a silicon gel,moldable foam, frothed foam, air or an open foam, nonwoven, or cellulosematerial with or without PCMs. The pocket is optional and may beremovable in some applications. This invention enables improvedperformance with the increased support around the heel, toe and ankle.The toe box is from top to bottom, wider and more flexible than inprevious liners, specifically those described in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,092,614, and 5,397,141. The laminated foams under the heel support theskater's lower back and allow for a comfortable stride. With this addedcomfort, the aggressive or recreational skier can achieve a higher levelof continued performance.

As shown in FIG. 3 , between the supporting second foam material 30 andthe third foam material 50 is a structural mesh 40 which can be a flexguard, for example, such as one manufactured by NALTEX or ConwedPlastics, or the like, that adds structural integrity to the liningsystem. This polymer mesh, as discussed above, may be included on or inany foam layer. A suggested combination for the ice and hockey skateswould combine the polymer mesh in the foam abutting a thermal nonwovenor abutting the nonwoven composite by Foss Manufacturing or the like.The multiple layers of foam and nonwoven increase rebound and comfortlevels. The nonwoven and nonwoven anti-microbial silver fibers or thelike fibers or anti-microbial treatment may be added in some performancecategories to the foam and mesh composite.

A nonwoven thermal may be a THINSULITE by 3M thermal nonwoven,THERMOLITE by INVISTA® thermal nonwoven, Ssoftherm by Fossmanufacturing, or a nonwoven composite with or without foam. A shapedand/or grooved polyester or synthetic fiber nonwoven blend may becombined with one of the selected thermal nonwoven with or without anadditional foam layer. Alternatively, the nonwoven composite suggestedpreviously may be a nonwoven fibers and foam layer combined under wateror air pressure. The foam layer may be optionally contain elastine,silver or moisture transfer and/or absorbent fibers, a polymer mesh or acombination in a number of performance categories. Alternatively, in oneoption the foam layer is combined with the fiber or a polymer mesh mayhave moisture transferring fiber blend flocked to the face side of thefoam composite layer or the foam composite may have both sides flockedin some performance categories. The flock blend additional may includenano-technology for soil resistance and anti-microbial properties. Thisoption is recommended for technical climbing footwear, protective gearor apparel.

A moldable foam layer, spacer material or gel or the like may also beused in place of this Flex-guard polymer mesh by Naltrex or the like andthe foam composite combination or an air bladder around the heel, toe,cuff or ankle areas. The moldable foam may or may not be a high density,slow recovery foam by Rogers, Rubberlite or the like. If it is not verybreathable, it can be made breathable by puncturing. Alternatively, themoldable foam is preferably similar in construction to the second foammaterial and can be a polyurethane reticulated and/or open cellhydrophilic, anti-microbial germicidal foam approximately ¼ inch thick(for example Aquazone, Netsorb, Dri-z by Dicon, Hypr-cell by Rubberlite,Comfortemp nonwoven combined with a foam layer, or the like). Anon-woven top sheet (with or without apertures) can be attached to themoldable foam. If a moldable foam or spacer fabric is used, then thesecond foam material may be omitted. Also, the moldable foam can beAquazone.

As mentioned earlier, the third foam material 50 is preferably similarin construction to the second foam material, namely being eithergermicidal, reticulated and approximately 1/16″, ⅛″ or ¼″ thick or beinggermicidal, hydrophilic, and open cell (for example, Aquazone). Thismaterial is preferably laminated to a nonwoven top sheet (which may ormay not be apertured) comprised of wood pulp, rayon, cotton, corn,silver fibers, lyocel, polyester, polypropylene, or a combinationthereof. The nonwoven or knitted top sheet may be applied to either sideof the foam, spacer fabric or thermal nonwoven to increase moisturetransfer. The fibers selected for the nonwoven top sheet may be alsoused for the flocked fiber blend and be flocked to the any fabric,nonwoven, foam, breathable membrane or spacer material in this linersystem. The nonwoven top sheet, when used, abuts thewaterproof/breathable membrane 60 and the polymer shell or a combinationof fabrics and/or materials and polymer. The nonwoven top sheet may abutan encapsulated outer shell fabric combined with a polymer shell or acombination. An example of a combined fabric and polymer shell compositeis the soft shell boot and polymer shell is the Rossignol soft alpineboot or the K2 in-line skate. The exterior shell material iswaterproofed with nano-technology, encapsulation, DWR finishes or films,coatings or breathable membranes or ionized treatments.

The suggested nonwoven top sheet fibers may be flocked on to the foamlayer, inner lining material, moisture transfer, breathable, elastomericcomposite, breathable membrane or spacer fabric to increase moisturetransfer, waterproof and anti-microbial properties.

The anti-microbial flocked fiber composite may be applied to any layerin the composite system.

The nonwoven apertured, top sheet may be optionally mechanically bondedto the thermal nonwoven, foam or to the thermal nonwoven and foamcomposite to increase the rate of moisture transfer.

The outer shell fabrics may also be treated with waterproof film andfinishes or encapsulated fibers or fabrics in some performancecategories. The waterproof encapsulated outer shell fabrics eliminatethe need for a waterproof/breathable membrane in most categories.However, the breathable membranes such as Gore, Event or the like may becombined in this application with encapsulation, finishes, films, orcoating in some performance categories. In fact, composites of flockedfoams fibers or fabrics or nonwoven moisture transfer thermals may beabutting a breathable membrane like Gore, Event, Aquador or membranes byBrookwood or the like. The outer fabrics may also be constructed torepel water with breathable membranes, encapsulated fibers or fabrics, abreathable film or coating. The selected coating and films arebreathable and may be used independently or combined with a breathablemembrane in some performance categories. The waterproof encapsulation ispreferably by Nextec. Nextec is the owner of the Canadian patent CA1338232 and 593680 application the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,666,765, 5,004,643,5,418,015, 5,209,965. The patent documents are hereby incorporated byreference. Encapsulation by Nextec, Toray, ASF and others may bedeveloped in any layer in this moisture transfer system. Preferably theencapsulation is applied to the outer shell fabric listed in thisapplication. Encapsulation by Toray, ASF and others wraps the individualfiber or thread in a polymer base coating. Encapsulation by Nextec coatsan internal layer creating a silicon-coated woven fabric substrate (U.S.Pat. No. 5,418,051 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,965). Encapsulation allows themoisture vapor to travel around and through the woven, knitted, nonwovenshell fabric, material or elastomeric or combination.

The moisture vapor continues from the second breathable foam material 30when applied through the mesh or spacer if applied 30, and on throughthe third exterior foam material 50, nonwoven layer or outer shellmaterial. In some performance categories the spacer fabrics or thermalnonwovens can replace the layer of foam material 50. The moisture vaporsare then passed through to the waterproof/breathable membrane 60 orshell material constructed of encapsulated other fabrics, or the like.If the outer fabric is encapsulated, then the moisture vapors passaround the encapsulated fibers and onto the surface fabric. If the lineremploys a waterproof/breathable membrane, then the moisture vapors areabsorbed into the membrane and passed through to an outer layer offabric 70, as shown in FIG. 4 . The waterproof/breathable membrane 60can be selected from a variety presently available on the market.

Those under the tradenames, Aquador, Entrant Dermizax, Witcoflex,Harrison Technologies membranes, Event, Super Dry Film, Windstoppermembrane, Dry comfort, Outdry, Active comfort, Sympatex Windler,Sympatex Elastic, Drytrail, Eclipse, Endurance, Vapex,2000/Plus/Standard1300, Seco-Tec, Dermizax, Thintech, Lay-tek, WitcoflexEcodry (by Baxenden Chemical), TX-1540, Outdry, Gore membranes, and PTFEby Tetratec are currently being considered. However, the membranescurrently being considered are Aquador, Event and Harrison Technologies.A breathable membrane may be combined with a thermal nonwoven such asTHERMOLITE, THINSULITE, Ssoftherm or the moisture transfer nonwoven andfoam thermal composite disclosed in this application. Outlast fiberswhich regulate temperature may be combined in some options with thenonwoven Outlast/®/Invista® products or other nonwoven blends or foam inthis application. If the preceding foam layers are have PCM Technologyapplied or included in the foam, the Outlast (PCM's) fiber or membranemay be eliminated. These waterproof/breathable membranes are ultra-thin,skin friendly, moisture barriers that allow moisture vapors to escapewhile preventing outside water from penetrating. Outlast Technology is aPhase Change Technology coated to a membrane, a spun melt fiber or acoating applied to a fabric, foam or nonwoven surface and ismanufactured by Gateway Technologies, Freudenberg or Schoeller Textil.Phase Change, micro-encapsulation technology, can adjust to temperaturechanges and is added to foam. The Phase Change Technology can becombined with nano-technology to cool and transfer moisture in a numberof options. Phase Change Materials can be added to a foam layer oradhesive or foamed dot matrix which is applied to a fabric or foamsurface or the Phase Change materials may be added to a coated binderand applied foam layer. PCM materials may be further added to foamedadhesive or binder be sprayed to any material surface or fiber. PCMTechnology can be added to any fiber, fabric, foam, foam and nonwovencomposite, thermal, breathable membrane or flocked fiber blend in thisapplication. Freudenberg Comfortemp nonwovens may be applied to anylayer in this composite system or be combined with other nonwovens orfoams in this moisture transfer system. The Freudenberg nonwovens orFreudenberg Comfortemp products (W) 02/12607) may be mechanically bondedinto the foam or nonwoven layer in this composite system to increase thethermal applications.

A number of patents have been issued to Triangle Research & DevelopmentCorp. disclosing the details related to the processes now being employedby Gateway Technologies and Schoeller. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos.4,756,958 and 5,366,801 are directed to fibers and fabrics withreversible enhanced thermal properties, respectively. The disclosures ofthese two patents are hereby incorporated by reference. Other patentsassigned to Triangle Research & Development Corp. that are related bysubject matter and have overlapping inventorship, include U.S. Pat. Nos.5,415,222; 5,290,904; and 5,224,356. These patents are also herebyincorporated by reference.

Another patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,460, which has overlappinginventorship with the above-mentioned patents, is directed to a moldablefoam insole with reversible enhanced thermal storage properties. Thedisclosure of this patent is hereby incorporated by reference, and isillustrative of one type of moldable foam that can be used as mentionedherein.

Also shown in FIG. 4 is a protective rim or cuff 80, preferably made ofneoprene covered by LYCRA® or elastine or SPANDEX® materials. Also, agermicidal hydrophilic, open cell and/or reticulated foam by Foamex orVita Olympic, for example, can be used. A pull tab 90, preferably madeof nylon, is connected to the protective rim 80. An abrasive protectivematerial 100 is provided adjacent to a tongue 300. Another abrasiveprotective material 110 is provided around the heel portion of the shoe.Abrasive protective material 110 is supplied by Schoeller or INVISTA®,Invista, for example.

The outer layer of fabric 70 of the lining system has 200 to 6000 denierstrength and is made waterproof by a membrane, encapsulation technologyor a waterproof film. If the waterproof film is applied to the outerfabric, then the membrane or encapsulation technology may be omitted.Encapsulation technology is being utilized by a company called Nectex,Inc. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,004,643 and 4,666,765) or Toray, Inc., (aJapanese company or the like). The breathable membranes preserve theouter layer of fabric 70 and perform as a waterproof barrier for theliners. If the encapsulation technology is applied to the outer layer offabric 70, then the breathable laminate membranes need not be used. Theencapsulation technology regulates the degree of waterproofing andbreathability of the outer fabric shell by encapsulating an internallayer of fibers within the outer fabric. When the encapsulated fiberlayer is close to the fabric surface, the fabric is very waterproof andless breathable. If the layers of encapsulated fibers are in the middleof the outer shell fabric, then the fabric is equally waterproofed andbreathable.

The outer layer of fabric 70 is a combination of extremely durable,lightweight materials, Kevlar®/Keprotec products 13207, 13624, 6500,14705, 65563, 13602, 13408 (manufactured by Schoeller, Inc.), theSchoeller Spirit Line 14138, 14118, 14140, 14120, 14124, 14126, 14128,14134, 14642, 14643, 14641, 14645, 14636, 14637, 14122, 14132, 14640,Kelvar® and nylon fabrics by Nam Liong, nylon supplex (such as thatmanufactured by Travis Textiles, Inc. or Blank Textiles, Inc.), nylonCordora® (manufactured by Schoeller, Inc.), other Cordoras (manufacturedby Schoeller or INVISTA®), Maxus 6-ply (manufactured by Blank Textiles,Inc.) or Starlite Dri-lex nylon fabric (manufactured by Faytex Corp.),Mojave or Tudor (both manufactured by Travis Textiles, Inc.), Microft(manufactured by Teijin), Entrant Gil and Dermizax (both manufactured byToray), Gymstar Plus (manufactured by Unitika), Ultrex High PerformanceFabrics (manufactured by Burlington, INVISTA®, Invista, Schoeller, orthe like), Nextec synthetic leathers and nonwovens or the like or thelike, or other fabrics having similar characteristics as these newproducts. Nonwovens by Sontara Technologies or the like can be used incombination with outer fabrics and are not to be confused with thenonwoven top sheets attached to the inner foam materials. Instead, thisis a high abrasion, moisture transfer, absorbent material that is a spunlace (polypropylene) moisture management product, such as SontaraTechnology nonwoven manufactured by INVISTA®, Invista, or nonwoven byFreudenberg for example.

Selecting the proper materials depends upon the needs of each individualskater. The non-abrasive cool fabrics used in the inner liner of thepresent invention greatly reduce the possibility of trapped moisture,thereby protecting the foot from fungus growth and any damage. The moreaggressive skaters or snowboarders need a moisture transfer liner thatcan remove large amounts of moisture continuously from the foot. Theseskaters or boarders often do not wear socks, and as a result, calluses,abrasions and blisters become commonplace. A wetting agent may beapplied to any of the inner lining materials 20 to enhance the moisturetransfer away from the foot. The anti-microbial, anti-fungalpolypropylene (polyolefin) fabrics quickly remove moisture away from thefoot. Skin damage is minimized because the polypropylene fabric has asmooth, continuous surface. This fabric also prevents bacterial build-upwhich can cause foot odor and fungus.

The looped polyester terry blend or the like is an excellent wickingfabric and can remove moisture rapidly. A wetting agent by Witco, or thelike, may be applied to enhance wickability.

The anti-microbial, anti-fungal Dri-lex nylon and nonwoven fabricsblends are sanded and soft. The material not only removes moisture awayfrom the foot, but is also extremely comfortable and cool to the touch.

The polyester Field Sensor fabric or Intera treated polyesters,polyester blends or the like works well with those individuals whoprefer sport or recreational skating. This liner absorbs moistureimmediately and is recommended for the soft boot inner liner.

Finally, polyester microfiber fabric is advantageous in that it is coolto the touch, smooth and wickable. A wetting agent treatment enhanceswickability.

As a result of using this lining system, the skater continues to have acooler, drier foot. The lightweight Kevlar®, Starlite, and Cordura®, orthe like, outer liner materials are twice as durable as the formerheavyweight nylons often used on the outer shell, but function as asofter feeling, breathable outer surface and aid in the moisturetransfer.

FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) illustrate a sole portion 200 of a footpad coveredwith one of the selected fabrics such as CAMBRELLE® Dri-Lex nylon,Evolon® or Novolon® technology by Freudenberg, polyester blends or thelike. Preferably, however, the foot pad is designed using a nonwoven,flocked fibers or Coville fabric. The top sheet is backed by flockedfibers, a Foss nonwoven composite, a hydrophilic moldable nonwoven orfoam. The footbed insert protects the foot from abrasion and frictionburns. The inserted hydrophilic anti-microbial foam (an open-cellmoisture vapor transfer foam) or slow recovery punctured foam foot padadds support and transfers moisture downward. The bottom portion of thefoam is preferably provided with a nonwoven to sheet or flocked fibersas described earlier, a material called SaranClimate Insoles by Fugafilor Sumuntez 1, 2 by Textel may also be used in place of the foamcomposite foot bed. The heel pocket foam or gel protects the back of theheel with a double layered, breathable, reticulated and/or slow recoverymoldable foam or a breathable cellulose material. This cushion protectorallows circulation in the heel. The anti-microbial silver fibers, shapedor grooved polyesters, nylon fabric blends or nonwovens or the like,covers a molded hydrophilic open-cell foam free rise or frothed foam orFoss composite 20 that supports the arch and insures the skater of acomfortable stride.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 illustrate the tongue 300 of the boot in more detail.The tongue is designed to add further comfort and support. As shown inFIG. 8 , an inner liner fabric 310 of the tongue 300 is preferably oneof the other inner materials mentioned above, especially the Evolon®nonwoven, polypropylene, polyester or LYCRA®, elastine, SPANDEX® blend,polyester microfiber by Coville or the like DriLine or the polyesterlooped terry or the like. This inner liner fabric 310 is preferablylaminated to a structural support moldable foam layer 320, which ispreferably a ⅛-¼ inch anti-microbial, breathable, reticulated and/orslow recovery punctured foam. A breathable, hydrophilic, open-cellbreathable or reticulated perforated foam 330 abuts a structural supportfoam 320. The breathable, hydrophilic open-cell or the slow recoveryperforated foam 330 can take the shape of the foot bones and protect theupper foot from damage. A moldable spacer material may also be used incombination with the foam 330 or in some cases in place of the foam 330.The structural support 320 can also be shaped to accommodate the footand protect the ankle bones. A moisture transfer material 340 lies overthe outer edges of the hydrophilic perforated foam or combination foamand spacer material 330 and is connected to the inner liner 310 andunderlies the outer protective polyurethane layer 350. This moisturetransfer material 340 is preferably made from a material known asaero-spacer Dri-Lex, which is manufactured by Faytex Corp, or anaero-spacer fabric manufactured by Apex Mills or the like. Optionally, anonwoven material such as Sontara Technology manufactured by Dupont® orInvista can be used.

The nonwoven material such as Cambrelle Dri-Lex, Nextec syntheticleathers, nonwovens or fabrics, Evolon® a spun lace, elastine orSPANDEX®, moisture management products by Freudenberg or the like canproduce strength and moisture transfer properties to the tongue. Itshould be understood that these nonwoven materials can always besubstituted for the knitted, aero-spacer Dri-lex, even if notspecifically mentioned in other parts of this disclosure. This material340 is wrapped around the outer edge of the tongue to allow moisturevapors traveling from the upper foot area to escape through moisturetransfer material 340 to the outer surface of the tongue 300. Material340 also aids in providing a softer edged tongue. Finally, an outerprotective polyurethane layer 350, or the like, is provided over acentral portion of the material 340. Another hydrophilic open-cell foamor slow recovery punctured foam (not shown) is shaped to fit between theouter protective polyurethane layer, Cordura® nylons, Kevlar®, orsynthetic breathable leathers (by Daowoo Corporation, for example) 350or the like are surrounded by aero-spacer Dri-lex 340, or a substituteas mentioned above, or the like. The protective polyurethane layer maybe optional in both the shell liner and the soft boot. If the protectivepolyurethane layer is omitted, then the slow recovery foam (not shown)or open-cell foam may also be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6 , polyurethane, Kevlar® fabrics, or syntheticbreathable leather layer (by Daewoo Corp. for example) 350 is surroundedby aero-spacer Dri-lex 340, or a substitute as mentioned above. At thetop of the tongue 300 is an abrasive grip fabric 100 (such as thatmanufactured by Schoeller and identified by the number 6500), also shownin FIG. 4 . Stitching is identified by numeral 370. FIG. 7 illustrates atop portion of the tongue 300 and shows stitching and the inner linerfabric 310. It is recommended that waterproof LYCRA®, SPANDEX® orelastine threads or and nylon thread such as those used by the Dupont,Xymid Group or Tietex, Kasbar National be used for these stitched areasor adhesive bonding by Applied Extrusion Technologies, or the like. Infact, adhesive bonding may be utilized in place of or in combinationwith several stitched areas on the outer liner fabrics or inner liningfabrics or composite layers.

In-line, ice and hockey skate tongues have in the past been synthetichard-edged forms. The shape of these tongues often did not fit theskater's foot. Furthermore, vinyl may damage the upper foot where itmeets the inner lining edge during active use of the in-line skate. As aresult, the skater may develop blisters, calluses, or bruises on thisupper-foot area. MVT brushed microfibers, fabrics and nonwovens blendsin this liner system increase performance and prevent foot damage.Additionally, the inner fabrics of the tongue liner have often beennon-breathable nylon, nonwovens and vinyl, thereby increasing thepossibility of foot bacteria and fungus development. The optionalanti-microbial fiber blends and ionized fibers and fabric discouragebacteria and fungus growth.

The liners are preferably provided with a pull tab 90 as illustrated inFIGS. 4, 9, and 10 on the back of a cuff 80 constructed of neoprene orreticulated foam covered by LYCRA®, elastine, SPANDEX®, or the like.FIG. 9 shows an opened-up version of the liner looking from the back ofthe shoe. The outer upper cuff that is exposed above the shell of thein-line, ice or hockey skate removable or non-removable liner isprovided to protect a skater's leg from abrasion. Located just beneaththe cuff 80 is an abrasive grip fabric material 410, such as thatmanufactured by Schoeller, Inc., Nam Liong or the like. Below material410 is a reflective grip material 420. Below the reflective gripmaterial 420 is a highly abrasive fabric 110, as shown in FIG. 4 . Thereflective material 14309 by Schoeller or Texon may also be used asfabric 110. Fabric 110 is preferably a Kevlar® by Toray, INVISTA®, orSchoeller (Keprotec or Schoeller Spirit) or Texon, Starlite, Cordura®,or the like. Finally, outer shell fabric 70 is the same as that shown inFIG. 4 and can be any of the fabrics previously listed in connectionwith outer shell fabric 70. The nylon pull tab 90 allows the skater toeasily slip into the liner.

FIG. 10 shows the other side of the liner of FIG. 9 . In FIG. 10, 510can be a ¼ inch punctured moldable foam, spacer fabric, or an airbladder of a similar shape. The foam and air bladder may also be used incombination. Alternatively, the moldable foam or breathable cellulosematerial can be replaced by a reticulated or hydrophilic open-cell foam,silicon gel or Dicon foam or the like. A nonwoven top sheet (with orwithout apertures) can be attached to the moldable foam or selectedfibers may be included in the foam during formation. Also, a spacermaterial, such as that made by Muller or the like, or a cellulosematerial or elastomeric by FoxRun or Baychar Technologies can be used asmaterial 510. The 520 application represents the combination of theflexible mesh (in the case that the moldable foam is not used, asdepicted), the breathable membrane and the outer shell fabric orencapsulated outer shell fabric. As in all of the figures, the arrowsdepict the flow of moisture.

FIG. 11 illustrates the toe portion 400 of the shoe. Preferably, the toeportion 400 is constructed with an inner liner 10, followed by a foammaterial 30 or foam and mesh with or without fibers, followed by abreathable membrane 60 and the outer fabric 70 or encapsulated outershell fabrics. The optional foam and nonwoven fiber composite blend maybe used abutting the mesh or spacer material in the toe box and heel.Abrasive grip fabric 100 is also shown. Texon Aquiline, Nam Liong nylon,Kelvar products, synthetic leather, nonwoven may be used. The 6500 highabrasive fabrics manufactured by Schoeller, Inc., Nam Liong, Kelvar® andnylon fabrics or the like, are located on the back of the cuff and thetop of the toe box, heel, and tongue grip area. The Kevlar® and CorduraStarlite® fabrics provide comfort and durability to the liners and areextremely strong and resistant to abrasion and allow for breathabilityand performance.

The microfiber technology disclosed above is rapidly developing andchanging and has greatly increased the potential for improvedperformance of such products as in-line skates, provided that they areproperly utilized as in the present invention. These new products arepart of rapidly developing fabric technology. The present inventionemploys a combination of technical fabrics, open-cell, breathable foamlayers, moisture transfer and absorbent nonwovens, breathable spacerfabrics, waterproof/breathable membranes, polymer mesh and cellulosematerials, flocked fibers and foams technology, encapsulated technology,nano-technology, structural woven water repellent fabrics, or waterprooffilm coatings in such combinations that increase the performance of theproducts in which they are used as well as increase breathability. Thewaterproof/breathable membranes in this application may haveanti-microbial fibers and/or nonwoven fibers flocked to them to increaseperformance properties. The flocked fiber layer attached to themembrane, outer shell fabric layer or composites layers in thisinvention may contain silver, corn, lyocel and/or hollow, shaped orsplit polymer fibers. Nano-technology may be incorporated in any layerin the composite products. Resin treated cotton and synthetics materialsby Nano-Tex, NanoHorrizon's E47 fabrics, Nanomatrix fabrics by Toray andNanosphere technology fabrics by Schoeller can be used for selectedinner lining and out shell materials. Coating by Trann Technologies canbe applied to SPANDEX®, cotton, and other fabrics. Silicone applicationsallow for moisture transfer wrinkle free and fad resistant products.Many skate protective products utilize SPANDEX® and stretchableproducts. The breathable moisture transfer, open-cell high or lowdensity foam and nonwoven composite packages are lightweight and easilymolded to accommodate safety helmets, protective gear, skate andtechnical footwear or apparel.

It should be noted that, in the case of in-line skates, the liningsystem of the present invention can be applied to both shell boot insertliners and soft boot applications. The soft boot in-line skate mentionedearlier in the background of the invention addressed the needs of askater to have more flexibility and comfort yet still maintainperformance levels. This new technology in the hockey, ice and in-lineskate industry has increased tremendously the possibilities of a lighterweight performance product. The soft boot, in-line skate or hockey skateconstruction can easily accommodate the numerous moisture transfer,breathable composite combinations. The soft boot for hockey, in-line orice skate use can be constructed with the moldable exterior Kevlar®,Cordura® or the like composites in the moisture transfer system to formtongues, side walls, toe caps and upper applications. While the softboot does not have a protective shell, it can nonetheless be providedwith a permanent integrated liner or a removable liner that enjoys allof the benefits of the present moisture transfer inner lining breathablecomposite systems. These moisture transfer constructions may also beapplied to alpine and hiking boot products. Preferably, the outer shellmaterials of the moisture transfer system comprising the entire softboot application would be comprised of a composite combinationcontaining a number of technical fabrics such as nylon, Kevlar®, or highabrasion Cordura® fabric, such as that manufactured by Schoeller, NamLiong or the like. These fabrics, as well as the high abrasive fabrics,are encapsulated or are provided with a waterproof/breathable membraneor coatings. A breathable, reticulated and/or open cell hydrophilic,anti-microbial germicidal foam layer by Foamex or Rubberlite or abreathable, anti-microbial, moisture transfer, nonwoven and foam blendmanufactured by Foss Manufacturing abuts the encapsulated outer fabricor breathable membrane. The breathable, moisture transfer nonwovenincluding a foam layer manufactured by Foss Manufacturing may includeelastine or SPANDEX® fibers to increase the stretchable properties. Insome options the layer of foam may be eliminated and replaced by anothernonwoven layer. The structural mesh, combined mesh and foam composite,molded cellulose or spacer material is stitch bonded or laminated to the1/20-⅛ inch reticulated or open-cell hydrophilic foam. The foamthickness can vary with the products performance criteria. A slowrecovery punctured foam or high density foam by Rubberlite, cellulosematerial, spacer material or silicon gel, or the like, are located inthe heel pocket, tongue, and toe areas. An air bladder may also be addedaround the ankle areas to increase performance in some cases. Thestructural mesh or molded spacer materials abut a nonwoven top sheet ora foam and nonwoven composite that is laminated, stitched, orultrasonically bonded to a breathable, reticulated and/or open-cellhydrophilic 1/20-¼ snad inch foam. The ⅛ inch foam abuts preferably acellular moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite which islaminated to the inner fabric. A nonwoven top sheet laminated to 1/20-⅛inch foam may also be used in place of the moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite. Also, instead of being removable, theliner would preferably be directly attached to the base of the soft bootby methods well known in the art, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,437,466. Substitutions can be made to all of the foam materials(i.e. hydrophilic open cell, Aquazone, Premium, VPF, etc.) just asdiscussed earlier, and are not specifically repeated here. Spacerfabrics, rubber and nonwoven materials or foam and paper compositecombinations may replace any layer in the composite systems.Semi-disposable and disposable composite products may combine one ormore fibers such as cotton, corn, flax, hemp, lyocel, wood pulp and/orpaper fibers with a foam layer. The disclosed semi-disposable anddisposable composite materials may be combined with a needle punchnonwoven and applied to many end use product lines as a removable andreplaceable insert. Other aspects of the present invention can beapplied to the soft boot without any significant structural changes. Thesoft boot density is increased in the footbed, toe box, and heel plate.This added support provides protection and assists in maintainingtechnical performance levels. The in-line soft boot or shell skatebreathability would be greatly enhanced with this added moisturetransfer liner system. The soft boot may also employ the nonwoven topsheets and composites in a number of combinations with the foam layersto increase moisture transfer. The breathable moisture transfer systemallows moisture to travel through each layer. The performance criteria,product and selected materials determine the rate of moisture transferand breathability. It is preferable, but not necessary that the outershell materials are breathable. In many cases a combination of exteriorshell materials will allow the moisture and heat to vent in selectedareas.

Also, the soft boot outer shell may be a combination of syntheticbreathable leather (such as that available from Daewoo, Inc. Nextec orthe like), an encapsulated, waterproof film or breathable membrane outerfabric by Gore, Schoeller, Burlington Industries, Malden PerformanceFabrics or any of the former fabrics mentioned, or the like, as well assynthetic rubbers, PVC, TAR or CPU, a thermoplastic composite material.Typar Nonwovens by Sontara Technologies, Texon, or the like, may be usedin combination with the outer materials in high abrasion areas. Thesehigh abrasive polymer materials are not known for moisture transfer orbreathability. The suggested composite combination would allowbreathable exterior shell materials such as Kelvar® and nylon fabrics tobe combined with the less breathable or non-breathable materials in thesystem.

The outer shell combined materials are then laminated, stitched,adhesively bonded or ultrasonically bonded, or the like, to interiorfoam or foam and nonwoven layers. An air bladder may be added incombination with or in place of the molded foam and structural mesh toaid in comfort and performance. If the internal layers of foam andnonwovens are stitch bonded, it is recommended that the process withLYCRA®, elastine, SPANDEX® thread by the Xymid group former a Dupont®group be used or the process developed by Tietex with nylon thread, orthe like. The outer shell fabric seams may be stitched or adhesivelybonded. Alternatively, the outer shell is a moldable composite of shellfabric foam, needle punch thermal nonwoven with or without foam abuttinginner lining material. The exterior shell material is bonded to thenonwoven by foam and may optionally include a mesh and/or fibers withanti-microbial properties. The inner lining material may be stitched,laminated or bonded with adhesives, breathable membranes or laminationto the exterior shell composite. The exterior shell fabric material mayor may not be waterproofed.

The inner moisture transfer fabrics are any of the former fabrics listedas suggested for the removable liner, or the like. The foam ismanufactured by Olympic Vita, Rubberlite, Dynamic foam, Dicon, Foamex orthe like, in combination with a nonwoven top sheet as mentioned or thefoam-nonwoven combination may be replaced with a foam/top sheetcomposite referred to as a cellular elastomeric composite. Presently,this invention utilizes shaped polyester fibers (4 deep groovedpolyester fibers or the like and/or polypropylene filtering materialproduced by Vitafibers QW 110-QW 150 quiet web or Tangerding Vliesstoffe(TH-FI 2108 or FF-FI 250). These materials may be substituted for thereticulated or open-cell foams previously mentioned, materials 30 and 50for example. The composite combination can be used for apparel, medical,industrial and protective application. Tangerding Vliesstoffe or thelike may have an anti-microbial fiber added with the phase changematerial to increase the performance properties. These breathable,moisture transfer, anti-microbial nonwoven or nonwoven and foamcomposite combination may be used industrially for air or waterfiltering applications or baby diapers and medical products. In fact, alarge number of the skate composites and combinations of compositions inthis invention may be used in medical and industrial applications.

Alternatively, the elastomeric cellular composite or the cellulosespacer material made with wood pulp and elastine fiber or foam materialsby FoxRun may be further incorporated anti-microbial fibers. Theelastomeric composite or spacer material may have a nonwoven fiber flockon one side or both sides. The elastomeric flocked fiber compositecombination is anti-microbial, moisture transfer and thermal regulatedand may be applied to numerous composites in this invention for helmet,protective gear, skate, soft boot and alpine shell boots, insert liners,apparel, medical and industrial.

In fact, a large number of the above technical composite combinationsmay be used to construct the entire product line for protective gear,sporting goods apparel, backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, boulderingshoes, water shoes, cycling shoes, sailing and golf apparel andfootwear, as well as, apparel and footwear. In the paddling, watersports products and sailing apparel and accessories, the kapok fiber maybe added to increase buoyancy.

FIG. 12 illustrates a snowboard or alpine insert boot linerincorporating the moisture transfer system discussed above. Thesnowboard boot may have a removable or non-removable liner and themoisture transfer system may represent the layers of the entire bootfrom the exterior shell material inward to the inner lining fabric layeras discussed above for the soft shell or hiking boot. Bouldering shoes,hiking shoes or cross country boots can easily incorporate the thin,lightweight, breathable, moisture transfer, waterproof layers toconstruct the entire shoe. The following elements of the snowboard bootare shown: numeral 610 represents a waterproof breathable syntheticleather or a leather by OutDry (Nextec), a Kevlar® fabric (made bySchoeller, or a similar material), Schoeller, INVISTA® & Toray or thelike, Cordura®, DYNAMIC EXTREME, KEPROTEC, or DERMIZAX by Toray; numeral615 represents materials similar to that of numeral 610, but can havedifferent colors for aesthetic purposes; numeral 630 represents aKevlar® or a technical materials made by Schoeller, Nam Liong, asynthetic material, leather or the like, with the heel portion beingsynthetic rubber, EVA, or the like, manufactured by Daewoo; numeral 635represents an inner moisture transfer material covering a breathable,molded breathable foam or breathable a spacer product numeral 640represents a Kevlar® or Cordura® material; numeral 650 represents somedecorative piping made of synthetic leather, stitching, polymer or thelike; numeral 655 represents a pull tab made of nylon or syntheticleather; numeral 660 represents the base of the boot which can be madeof a synthetic polyurethane; numeral 670 represents a reflective Kevlar®back; and finally, numeral 675 represents an optional sock that can beinserted into the boot with the permanent liner or removable insertliner if desired.

The sock 675 is made up of three or four layers and is similar to thethin race boot option. The first layer can be any of the inner linermaterials discussed above. The second layer is a layer of moisturetransfer, breathable, elastomeric composite, or a foam and nonwovenmoisture transfer composite or thermal nonwoven composite comprised of aTHERMOLITE, THINSULITE nonwoven with or without foam and silver fibers.The third layer is a material that absorbs and transfers moisture suchas an ionized nonwoven blend or a polyester blend manufactured byDeercreek Fabrics, Menra Mills, or Coville fabric treated with awicking, ionized solution or the like.

The preferable outer shell insert sock construction may be a three-layercomposite constructed of an inner lining material, a nonwoven compositewith foam or without foam and silver fibers and an outer shell polyestermesh waterproof with a encapsulated, film or a finish. Optionally, aspacer fabric material may replace the inner moisture transfer nonwovencomposite layer. The inner lining fabric or material and outer shelllayer fabric or material may be a nonwoven, knitted or a wovenconstruction. Encapsulation technology can also be applied to the thirdlayer by Nextec. Sock 675 can be used for additional warmth and isremovable, unlike the shoe liner and can be inserted into the snowboard,alpine liner or the like, for extra warmth. The insert sock liner isbreathable and preferably used in a boot where the liner is notremovable or there is no liner available. The three layers can beattached to one another by lamination, although mechanical bonding, orstitching, or ultrasonically bonded, can also be used. This insert sockliner is recommended for the all-weather boot by L.L. Bean or the like.

The alpine and snowboard race boot requires a thin moldable lineroption. The insert liner for the alpine race boot preferably isconstructed in following three options the inner lining materialabutting an open cell foam backed with a moisture transfer nonwoven topsheet. The third layer composite is laminated to the moisture transfer,breathable, MVT Thermal made by Foss Manufacturing composite and aspacer fabric material. The exterior shell fabric is laminated to aspacer fabric material.

In the second option the inner lining material is laminated to themoisture transfer, breathable, MVT Thermal developed by BaycharTechnologies and manufactured by Foss Manufacturing composite and abutsthe breathable moldable spacer fabric and exterior shell material.

In the third option the inner lining material is welded to moisturetransfer, breathable, elastomeric composite, the moldable breathablespacer fabric and exterior shell material.

Optionally, the exterior shell fabric may be a three-layer compositeconstructed of foam, moisture transfer nonwoven and the exterior shellfabric. The three-layer exterior composite may be attached to thebreathable spacer fabric and molded. In fact, any of the combinationsmay be molded, adhesively bonded and welded in this invention.

The microfiber and chemical ionized technology disclosed above israpidly developing and changing and has greatly increased the potentialfor improved performance of such products as the alpine boot, providedthat they are properly utilized as in the present invention. These newtechnical fibers, materials, foams and moisture transfer compositecombinations are part of rapidly developing technical textilestechnology industry. The present invention employs a combination offabric, foam, moisture transfer nonwovens, moldable spacer materials,breathable membranes, coating, finishes, films, structurally woven orknitted waterproof fabrics, ionized fabrics, encapsulated outer fabricsin such combinations that increase the performance of the products inwhich they are used as well as increase breathability. The breathablemembranes, coating and finishes are optional in alpine, hiking andclimbing shoes. The removable sock liner may be inserted into rubberboots, all weather boots or alpine products. The discussion above hasfocused upon snowboard boots, alpine boots, hiking and climbing shoeliners. Similar applications can be made with running shoes, helmets,protective gear or cross country boots, or in-line skates, gloves,accessories, sleeping bags, back packs and apparel with slightmodifications.

In the snowboard boot liner, the various layers can be combined bylamination, mechanical bonding, stitch bonding, ultrasonic bonding or acombination of these two. The second and third layers would include abreathable, foam that contacts the first layer and is a germicidal,reticulated foam or a hydrophilic, open-cell foam, such as VPF orAquazone manufactured by Foamex, DRI-Z manufactured by Dicon with orwithout glycerin, Phase Change Foam or Schoeller PCM foam or the like.Alternatively, these layers can be a MVT Thermal made by Fossmanufacturing composite. An elastomeric cellular composite inclusive ofmoisture transfer, nonwoven fibers or a open-cell foam backed by amoisture transfer, nonwoven, apertured top sheet composed of wood pulp,polyester, rayon, lyocel, cotton, or polypropylene, in a single process.A foam composite may be used in combination with a thermal nonwoven suchas THERMOLITE, THINSULITE or the like.

The fourth layer is a hydrophilic, open cell preferably, VPF by Foamex,an open-cell, slow recovery foam by Rubberlite, or Dicon Technologiesfoam, or polymer flex-guard mesh or a polymer flex-guard mesh inclusivein an open-cell foam or a polyester breathable spacer material (byMuller) or the like for support. In this case, the open-cell foam,Foamex, Rubberlite or the like is laminated to a moisture transfernonwoven top sheet composed of wood pulp, cotton, polyester, lyocel,blend which abuts a waterproof/breathable membrane (fifth layer), ifused. If the flex-guard polymer mesh is used, it is included in the foamin one process or the flex guard is followed by another layer ofopen-cell foam with a moisture transfer nonwoven top sheet inclusive inthe foam or abutting the waterproof/breathable membrane or anencapsulated or waterproof breathable coated or filmed exterior shellfabric. If the spacer material is used, it may or may not be molded toaccommodate the foot. The moisture transfer nonwoven top sheet may beeliminated in selected performance categories. The breathable spacermaterial abuts either a waterproof breathable membrane, an encapsulatedor coated fabric. The breathable spacer material may be combined with aTHERMOLITE or the MVT Thermal developed by Baychar technologies andmanufactured by Foss Manufacturing composite.

The Phase Change Technology by OUTLAST/INVISTA or the like may be addedto any layer in the liner system and may be combined with encapsulatedfibers and fabrics and combined with nanotechnology. Phase ChangeTechnology can be used in conjunction with structurally knittedwaterproof fabrics or fibers, or with the encapsulation fabrics byNextec, Toray or the like. Encapsulation by Nextec combined with thePhase Change Technology or OUTLAST Technologies/INVISTA is an enhancedoption in this embodiment, but is not essential in the products. Ifencapsulation is employed, then the fourth layer preferably includesTHERMOLITE with or without split, shaped or grooved fibers or themoisture transfer, breathable, MVT Thermal developed by BaycharTechnologies and Foss Manufacturing composite. Both THERMOLITE and theMVT nonwoven developed by Baychar technologies and manufactured by FossManufacturing or the like may include anti-microbial properties orsilver fibers. If a non-removable liner is employed instead of aremovable liner, a waterproof-breathable thin film, finishes or coatingcan be used instead of encapsulation or a waterproof/breathablemembrane, nano-technology may be applied to waterproof any selectedouter shell material.

The sixth layer in this removable shell liner may be Cordura®, STARLITE,Kevlar® fabrics or the like. The STARLITE by Faytex Corp or Faytexbreathable series, Kev® are and Cordura®s by Schoeller 6500, 14705,13207, 13632, 65563 etc. and Nam Liong's ARMORTEX Series, DERIZAX andENTRANT Gil by Toray.

The exterior shell fabric is preferably encapsulated or waterproofedwith a breathable thin film or coating. It may be noted in thisinvention that there are no stated specified rates of breathable ormoisture transfer. The selected products and performance category in theproduct line determines the selected breathable and moisture transferrates. The MVT and breathable rates are developed by the selectedfibers, foams and materials for these technical composites productsystems and are determined by performance level and product company.

Alpine Cross Country Boots

A liner for the alpine cross country boots has a first layer selectedfrom a group including polypropylene, nylon blend, polyester orpolyester blends, LYCRA®, elastine, SPANDEX® or wool backed by cotton,wool, rayon, lyocel, acetate, acrylic, polyester or a nonwoven blend.The inner lining fabric or material may be an anti-microbial,anti-fungal INNOVA or ALPHA; sueded polyester; polyester field sensor;looped polyester terry; Dri-line by Milliken, Coville or Deercreekpolyester blend, DRI-LEX or the like by Faytex Corp.; polyester DRI-LEXterry by Faytex; polyester fleeced blends or spacer fabric by Malden;and polypropylene backed by cotton by Coville. Alternatively, themulti-layer composite may abut the second layer.

The second layer in this embodiment may be a breathable, open-cell foam,or a moisture transfer nonwoven composite, or a breathable moldablespacer fabric for the outer shell material. These materials may beindividually selected or in combinations in certain performancecategories.

The breathable, germicidal, open cell hydrophilic foam second layer maybe a open cell, breathable foam containing Phase Change material byRubberlite. Foamex, Lendal or International foam. INVISTA nonwoven andfoam materials with Phase Change Technologies or a foam by DiconTechnologies such as Dry-z with or without glycerin. This foam can beprovided with or without a moisture transfer nonwoven top sheet. Themoisture transfer nonwoven top sheet can be selected from any of thematerials previously specified. Alternatively, the second layer may bean moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite or the secondlayer can be a open-cell foam such as DRI-Z® or the like with a fiber ornonwoven later integrated into the foam layer during its construction.This moldable composite comprised of fiber and foam is created in oneprocess and may in some performance categories contain a polymer meshsuch as that developed by Naltex or webbed layer. The breathable,open-cell foam with or without the polymer mesh may alternatively,contain a nonwoven sheet constructed of the above suggested fiberscontained in the nonwoven backing to assist in the absorption andtransfer of the moisture passing through the moisture transfer system.The moisture vapor is pulled through the foam and nonwoven fiber layersand quickly evaporates layers. It is not necessary that the moisturevapor travel though the outer polymer shell systems as the majority ofthe moisture vapor evaporates before the outer shell layers. Many skateshave a non-breathable exterior polymer shell material. The breathablelayers and moisture transfer system can be applied to either anon-breathable, non-removable shell, removable liner insert, abreathable waterproof shell skate or footwear item.

The third layer is structural support foam or a breathable, moldablespacer material by Muller Textil. The spacer fabric is a knittedsandwich structure with a nonwoven core. The heel and arch may also havea slow recovery foam or spacer fabric added for comfort. The thicknessof the layer of foam or spacer fabric and THERMOLITE may vary forperformance. The third may be eliminated in some performance crosscountry boot applications. Or be replaced by thermal nonwoven orcomposite or abut a thermal nonwoven or another foam layer.

The fourth layer is a thin layer of THERMOLITE, a hollow core polyesterfiber, containing a binder. THERMOLITE combined with a breathable,open-cell foam with or without natural fibers such as corn, silver woodpulp, spandex, elastine, cotton or lyocel fibers added to absorb themoisture. The hollow polyester fibers synthetic fibers quickly move themoisture along that is absorb by the nature fiber from the abutting topsheet. Optionally, the fourth layer can be a blend of moisture transfersynthetic or natural fibers blend or the moisture transfer, absorbentnonwoven composite developed by Baychar Technologies with or withoutPhase Change materials or thermal fibers by Outlast or INVISTA® or anopen-cell foam such as Foamex, Rubberlite or the like with a moisturetransfer nonwoven top sheet made of wood pulp, lyocel, rayon, cotton,polyester, acrylic, flax, hemp, acetate, corn or polypropylene. Thesenonwoven fibers in combination or independently absorb and movemoisture. The fourth layer may be optional in some performancecategories.

The fifth layer is optionally, a breathable waterproof/breathablemembrane which may be any one of the following: SECO at Shawmut Mills,THINTECH, THERMOLITE 2000/1300 standard, latex, breathable membranes byHarrison Technologies, Sympatex, or ENTRANT Gil by Toray The OUTLASTtechnology can be used applied to a membrane or to a outer fabric ormaterial that has been treated with an encapsulated or nano-technology.Encapsulation technology applied to the outer shell fabric is by Nextec,Toray or the like. Alternatively, instead of the membrane, encapsulationtechnology or a waterproof breathable finish or film may be applied tothe exterior shell materials of the sixth layer and can achieve similarresults. Optionally, a combination of Phase Change Technology andnano-technology can be applied to fibers or fabrics by BurlingtonTechnologies or the like. If encapsulation is employed, then the fourthlayer preferably includes THERMOLITE, moisture transfers nonwoven blendor Moisture transfer composites (MVT Thermal) composite.

The sixth layer is one of the following fabrics. Note that if thesefabrics are encapsulated, the waterproof/breathable membrane in thefifth layer may not be needed in this option. These fabrics include thefollowing: Cordura®; LYCRA®, elastine, SPANDEX® blends; STARLITE byFaytex Corp.; Kevlar® fabric by Schoeller (14705, 6500, 13207, 13632,65563, etc.); Nam Liong AROMRTEX Series, INVISTA® and Toray or the like,Cordura® 2000 by INVISTA®, Dermizax and ENTRANT Gil by Toray, 3 or 4 plySupplex; Mojave and Tudor nylon and polyester blends by Travis; 6 plyMaxus nylon blends, IBQ stretch Cordura® or the like; and syntheticleathers by Daewoo, Inc., Nextec or moisture transfer nonwovens byFreudenberg, Sisa or the like. These fabrics may be used individually orin combination.

The seventh fabric option is a LYCRA®, SPANDEX® or elastine materialcovers a neoprene, moldable spacer fabric or slow recovery foam orreticulated open cell foam upper liner ankle cuff.

The tongue for the alpine boot is similar to the tongue of the in-lineskate. The tongue of the cross country boot is similar to the snowboardboot. They can be constructed of Rubberlite, Foamex, International orthe like molded foams with a moisture transfer nonwoven top sheet ormoldable spacer fabrics. A slow recovery foam can also be used asspecified with the snowboard boot. The inner fabric is one or more ofDRI-LEX, DRI-LEX Aero-spacer, polyester FIELDSENSOR polyester by Toray,Freudenberg Nonwovens with or without phase change materials, DRILINE byMilliken, polyester spacer by Malden, polar fleece INNOVA or ALPHApolypropylene by Coville or Deercreek Fabrics, or DRI-LEX nylon,polyester blends sueded or fleeced or the like. The outer tongue fabricsare high abrasive fabrics constructed of Kevlar® and Corduras® bySchoellar or Nam Liong and DRI-LEX Aero-Spacer or other Aero-spacermaterials by Faytex, or the like, and breathable synthetic and naturalleathers by Daewoo, Nextec, or the like. All the leather in thisembodiment can be treated with OutDry by Nextec. 3×Dry by Schoeller orthe like.

CIBA chemical waterproof treatments or nano-technology may be applied toany layer in this composite to enhance, soil resistant, moisturetransfer or waterproof properties.

The alpine liner can eliminate one or more layers to accommodate raceliners and cross country boot applications. The preferable embodimentwould contain a three layer composite liner. The inner moisture transferfabric or material, a moisture transfer nonwoven for waterproof stainresistant exterior fabrics composite developed by Baychar Technologiesmanufactured by Foss Manufacturing and an exterior shell moisturetransfer, waterproof material. This light weight breathable moldablecomposite can be adhesively bonded.

Hiking Boots

A liner for the hiking boot would include the following. The first layeris selected from a group including: polyester field sensor; looped polyterry; DRI-LEX composites by Faytex; Doeskin, BABY KID, Cambrelle byFaytex; anti-fungal, anti-microbial polypropylene fabrics; INNOVA orALPHA fleeced polyester and polypropylene blends, suede surfacepolyester blends, COOL MAX or nylon blends, or the like. Any combinationof these moisture transfer fabrics can also be used.

The second layer is a moisture transfer, breathable, elastomericcomposite or a hydrophilic or a breathable, open-cell foam preferably byFoamex, International foam or Rubberlite, or Dynamic foam or SchoellerPCM foam or Outlast coated PCM foam or a DRI-Z foam or a breathablemoisture transfer fabric or nonwoven layer. If a foam layer is used inthe second layer, a moisture transfer absorbent nonwoven top sheetselected from previously mentioned materials can be attached as abacking.

The third layer is a molded hydrophilic open-cell foam backed by anaperture moisture transfer and absorbent nonwoven top sheet composed ofcotton, polyester, polypropylene, lyocel, rayon, or wood pulp, cotton orthe like. A moldable heel and ankle spacer fabric by Muller or the likemay also be used in place of the third nonwoven layer or hydrophilic,open cell foam. A breathable, moldable spacer fabric or foam may beadded around the toe box and back cuff. A molded heel/ankle insert byMuller Textil is preferably also used. The Muller Textil spacer fabricis a complex composite with knitted top sheets on either side of thecontinuous filaments sandwiched in the middle of the knitted top sheets.This breathable, moisture transfer spacer material is moldable andlightweight and can be used as a replacement for any nonwoven or foamlayer in this invention.

The fourth layer optionally is a waterproof/breathable membrane whichmay be any one of the following: Membrane by Shawmut Mills), THINTECH,THERMOLITE 2000/1300 standard, laytex, WILCOFLEX DRY or the like. ThePhase Change Technology or OUTLAST Technology may also be usedindependently of the breathable membrane and may also be contained in apolymer adhesive or coating to the outer fabric or fibers or applied ina foam coated dotted matrix on the back side of the fabric, foam ornonwoven layer. Also, this membrane layer may be eliminated in somemodels depending upon the hiker's needs. Alternatively, instead of thebreathable membrane, encapsulation of the fifth layer can be performedto achieve similar results. If waterproof encapsulation is applied tothe outer layer, then the third layer may be an open-cell foam or amoldable spacer fabric, a THERMOLITE, a moisture transfer nonwovencomposite or a MVT Thermal composite developed by Baychar Technologiesor a licensed representative of Baychar Technologies. The Phase ChangeTechnology may be applied to the moisture transfer nonwoven, foam orfabric in this moisture liner system and may be combined with outershell encapsulated fibers and fabric, such as by Nextec, or the like.

The fifth and last layer is a combination of one or more of thefollowing: Corduras®, Supplex Nylon, STARLITE, Tudor, Kevlar®, nylonblends, polyester nylon blends, and waterproof breathable synthetic andnatural leathers. Preferably, this layer is waterproofed by usingencapsulation, waterproof finishes or films or coatings. Waterprooftreatment to the exterior shell leathers, synthetic leathers and/ormaterials can be applied by OUTDRY by Nextec, DURAPEL PLUS, HYPER D-WRor ENTRANT G2-XT, eXY

Moisture transfer, breathable, absorbent elastomeric compositetechnology may be inserted between the exterior shell fabric and thebreathable membrane, if applied, or the moisture transfer, breathable,elastomeric composite may be a moisture transfer nonwoven thermal blendon one side and the exterior shell fabric on the other side. Optionally,the thermal nonwoven composite comprised of engineered fibers with orwithout a foam layer may be abutting the exterior shell material or afrothed foam and the outer shell material. Furthermore, the breathableliner according to the present invention could also be added to clothingsuch as shirts, pants, gloves, helmets, backpacks, etc., by omittingelements such as the structural mesh and by adjusting the number of foammaterial layers and their thickness. For example, clothing preferablyhas a moisture transfer, wickable inner liner, followed by anelastomeric or an open cell foam 1/16, ⅛ inch and the outer shellfabric. A moisture transfer nonwoven may or may not be laminated to thefoam. Optionally, a breathable membrane abuts the foam or moisturetransfer nonwoven and is laminated to the outer fabric. The outer fabricmay be waterproofed by encapsulated, laminated to a breathablewaterproof membrane, coated with a waterproof finish or film,structurally woven or knitted to repel water or contain nano-technology.If encapsulation technology or a waterproof breathable film or finish isapplied to the exterior shell fabric than the breathable membrane maynot be applied. Indeed, the amount of foam may be replaced by a nonwovencomposite blend. Presently, this liner system is combining an open-cellfoam abutting an open-cell foam and encapsulated outer shell fabric asone embodiment. Optionally, the MVT Thermal made by Foss Manufacturing,THERMOLITE or a nonwoven thermal or nonwoven composite combined withfoam may be used abutting the inner lining fabric and the outer shellfabrics. The suggested moisture transfer and absorbent nonwovens andfoam composite can be mechanically bonded.

This invention can also be used for industrial and medical applicationsby using polyester spun bonded filter products by TangerdingVlitesstoffe, Vitafiber, or the like, combined with alternatinghydrophilic foam layers and nonwoven blends. The nonwoven composites areconstructed to filter, absorb and transfer moisture and microscopicparticles.

Other Applications

FIGS. 13-22 disclose various other embodiments of the present inventionas follows. FIGS. 13-18 show a detachable, removable insert liner forsoft shell skates and other products. These liners are inserts and canbe used in hockey skates and other types of footwear. The sameconstruction can be applied to a complete boot rather than an insert.This is shown in FIG. 21 . FIG. 21 is an example of a complete skatecontaining the same materials as the inserts in FIGS. 13-18 , and builtin the same way as these inserts. Soft shell alpine boots areillustrated in FIGS. 18 and 19 .

FIGS. 13 and 13A illustrate an insert (700) for an in-line skate, ice orhockey skate with an enlarged first portion. In FIG. 13 , numeral 710represents a composite of one layer, two layers, or three layers. 710shows outer shell fabric, foam, nonwoven, with no top sheet, the topsheet is the outer shell fabric in this case. 710 can be an exteriorshell fabric or material abutting a cellular moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite, or the fabric can be backed by aflocked fiber combination abutting the foam and followed by a nonwovenor a knit. Alternatively, the same combination may be used withoutflocking. Optionally, layer 710 can be a single layer of fabric ormaterial, or a double layer, including fabric or material abutting anonwoven. Preferably, the composite layer is a 3 layer construction offabric, foam, and nonwoven. Layer 720 is a spacer fabric. Optionally,layer 720 is a combination which may include multiple layers of foam andnonwoven. In some performance categories, 720 can simply be a foam or anonwoven. Layer 730 is a nonwoven or a cellular moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite or an inner lining fabric or materialsuch as a knit.

FIGS. 14 and 14A illustrate another embodiment of an insert (700) for anin-line skate or a hockey skate with a second portion enlarged. 740illustrates a one-, two-, or three-layer composite. The top sheet can beoptionally composed of: (1) a nonwoven or a knitted layer; (2) anonwoven or a knit and a foam; (3) a nonwoven or a knit with a cellularmoisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite; or (4) a nonwovenand a foam composite.

Layers 750, 760 and 770 together compose a spacer fabric or a moldablefoam with a mesh. Optionally, the spacer fabric or foam with a moldablemesh may include a nonwoven thermal such as THINSULITE or THERMOLITEwith or with out silver fibers by Foss Manufacturing or the like or athermal composite made of nonwoven shaped and grooved fiber blends andsilver fibers. The preferable construction replaces the 3 layers (750,760, and 770) with a single layered spacer fabric. In some multilayerconstructions, the specific layers could be broken down as follows: (1)layer 750 may be a knit, woven, nonwoven construction, or foam, or anmoisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite; (2) layer 760 maybe a foam, nonwoven or a combination of foam and nonwoven; or (3) layer770 may be a knit, woven, nonwoven, foam, or an moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite.

FIGS. 15 and 15A illustrate another embodiment of an insert (700) for anin-line skate or hockey skate with a third portion enlarged. 780 couldbe a combination of an outer fabric and a foam or a combination of anouter fabric a foam and a non-woven. 782 has many options. Onecombination is a foam with a mesh, a non-woven, another foam, andanother non-woven. A second combination has a foam, a mesh, a non-woven,a second foam, and a second non-woven. A third combination is anon-woven, a foam, a second non-woven and a non-woven compositemanufactured by Foss. Optionally, all nonwoven layers may be a cellularmoisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite and may includesilver fibers by Foss Manufacturing.

784 has three options. One option is a spacer fabric. A second option isa moldable foam. The third option is a combination of a foam and apolymer mesh, manufactured by Naltex.

786 has the following options. It could be an outer fabric plus a foamor a foam and non-woven composite (Foss composite). Another option is anouter fabric and a moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite.Finally, 786 could be a Foss composite and a moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite together with an outer shell fabric.In some performance products the layers of 782 are omitted. It should benoted here that all composite materials can be backed by a flocked fiberblend which may contain silver fibers.

FIGS. 16, 16A and 16B illustrate an insert (800) for a soft-shell alpineboot with first and second portions enlarged. 802 illustrates acomposite including an inner moisture transfer material, a foam and anonwoven. 802 may also be an inner moisture transfer material, abuttinga nonwoven and foam composite or a cellular moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite. 804 illustrates a composite of anonwoven, a foam, a second nonwoven and a second foam. Alternatively,804 may be composed of a foam and a nonwoven with silver fibers (thiscombination is an example of a moisture transfer thermal), and in someperformance categories a cellular moisture transfer, breathable,elastomeric composite may be combined with a moisture transfer thermal.This whole layer can be eliminated in some performance categories.Nonwovens in this composite may be replaced by a knitted fabric. 806illustrates a spacer fabric or a breathable moldable foam. The moldablefoam may include a polymer mesh, with or without silver fiber blends, orother fiber blends including wool fibers. In one option the silvers andnatural blends abut the spacer fabrics and may be followed by a thermalnonwoven layer. Thermal nonwovens such as THINSULITE and THERMOLITE orthe like may include the silver fibers by Foss Manufacturing. Layer 806is a moisture transfer thermal composite composed of a nonwoven and foamblend. The foam with mesh can be followed by a nonwoven or another foam.The foam nonwoven composite may be constructed in the following ways:(1) foam-nonwoven-foam; (2) nonwoven-foam-nonwoven; (3)nonwoven-foam-nonwoven-foam-spacer fabric; or (4)nonwoven-foam-nonwoven-spacer fabric. All of these combinations mayinclude silver fibers or fiber blends and are considered moisturetransfer thermals. In some options, the nonwoven layer may be replacedwith a knitted layer, or a cellular moisture transfer, breathable,elastomeric composite. 808 illustrates a cellular moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite or a foam and nonwoven abutting anexterior shell fabric. The moisture transfer thermal composite may becombined with a polymer mesh and the exterior shell fabric in layer 808.Alternatively, 808 can be the exterior shell fabric open cell foam withor without silver fibers or fiber blends abutting a nonwoven, a nonwoventhermal blend or a nonwoven and foam composite. This exterior shellcomposite is moldable, transfers moisture, and regulates temperaturewith fiber additions. The exterior shell fabric may be waterproofed inthe following ways: (1) with encapsulation; (2) with breathablemembrane; (3) with waterproof breathable film or finish; or (4) withfibers treated or constructed to repel water. A preferable three-layerconstruction for golf shoes, running shoes, cross-country boots andapparel includes a waterproof exterior shell fabric, an open-cell foam,or a cellular moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric compositeabutting a knitted or nonwoven inner moisture transfer material.Optionally, the foam, nonwoven or cellular moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite may include blends containing eithersilver or wool fibers, or both.

FIG. 16C also illustrates in layer 910 a spacer fabric abutting layer912. Optionally, 910 can be a foam with a fiber blend and polymer meshadded. 912 is preferably a moisture transfer thermal, composed of a foamnonwoven antimicrobial blend with silver fibers. Alternatively, 912 canbe a nonwoven thermal without foam or a thermal nonwoven with silverfibers. 914 is a one-, two-, or three-layer composite. It can be anouter shell fabric or material, abutting a breathable foam followed by anonwoven. Alternatively, the outer shell fabric may abut a cellularmoisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite or thermalnonwoven.

FIGS. 17, 17A and 17B illustrate an insert (800) for a soft shell alpineboot with first and second portion enlarged. 810 represents an outershell fabric, a foam and a nonwoven composite. The 810 layer ispreferably moldable antimicrobial thermal breathable, and transfersmoisture. The 810 layer can be developed in a number of constructions.Layer 812 can be an outer shell fabric and a breathable foam, an outershell fabric a breathable foam and a nonwoven, or an outer shell fabricand a cellular moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite, orouter shell fabric and a moisture transfer thermal with or without foam.Layer 812 is a spacer fabric, which can optionally be a breathable foamwith or without a polymer mesh and silver fibers or fiber blends. Layer812 can be optionally is a moisture transfer thermal moldable nonwovencomposite, and in some performance categories the foam can be replacedwith a cellular moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric compositeincluded in the nonwoven layer. Layer 810 and layer 814 are similar toeach other in this three-layer construction. Optionally, layer 814 canbe a two-layer construction. Layer 814 illustrates a composite with anouter shell fabric and a foam, or an outer shell fabric and a nonwoven,or an outer shell fabric and a foam, or an outer shell fabric and acellular moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite.Preferably layer 814 is an outer shell fabric abutting moisture transferthermal composite including breathable foam and silver fibers. Layer 816is a moisture transfer thermal nonwoven inserted between the options inlayer 814 and a spacer fabric in layer 818, or a foam with or without apolymer mesh. Optionally, layer 816 can be a foam nonwoven composite ora cellular moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite. Thismulti-layered composite abuts an inner lining material and forms themoldable liner insert or permanently attached liner. In some options,this liner may incorporate 3-15 layers. The spacer fabric in layer 818can optionally be a foam, a nonwoven or a combination. Layer 18 may alsobe a foam with a moldable polymer mesh.

FIGS. 18 and 18A illustrate a soft shell alpine boot (900) incorporatinglining materials such as those shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 . In theenlarged portion of FIG. 18, 820 illustrates an inner lining material.822 illustrates a foam nonwoven composite and optionally 822 may be acellular moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite or abreathable foam. Layer 824 illustrates a polymer mesh. The polymer meshin 824 can be included in a foam, or in a nonwoven, or in a foam andnonwoven composite, or alternatively it may abut layers with any ofthese constructions. One option, layer 820 abuts a cellular moisturetransfer, breathable, elastomeric composite including a polymer mesh.Layer 826 illustrates another inner lining material. 826 mayalternatively be a nonwoven and a cellular moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite or a knitted construction and abreathable foam or a three-layer composite composed of an inner liningmaterial, a foam and a nonwoven or a three layer composite comprised ofa inner moisture transfer fabric, treated with a dotted, phase changefoam matrix on the side and an waterproof exterior shell material.Preferably, the outer shell soft boot composite is composed of an outershell fabric, a frothed open cell foam in a single layer or dottedmatrix, a moisture transfer nonwoven, or nonwoven composite and an innerlining material. This composite is moldable, transfers moisture, and isthermal and waterproof.

FIGS. 19 and 19A illustrate a soft shell alpine boot (900) incorporatinglining materials such as those shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 . In theenlarged portion of FIG. 18, 830 illustrates an inner lining material.832 illustrates a foam nonwoven composite and optionally 832 may be acellular moisture transfer, breathable, elastomeric composite or abreathable foam. Layer 834 illustrates another inner lining material.834 may alternatively be a nonwoven and a cellular moisture transfer,breathable, elastomeric composite or a knitted construction and abreathable foam or a three-layer composite composed of an inner liningmaterial, a foam and a nonwoven. Preferably, the outer shell soft bootcomposite is composed of an outer shell fabric, a frothed open-cell foamor a dotted Phase Change matrix on the back side of the exteriormoisture transfer material, a moisture transfer nonwoven, or nonwovencomposite and an inner lining material. The foamed, dotted matrixcontaining phase change materials can be applied to any layer in thethree-layer composite. This composite is moldable, transfers moisture,and is thermal and waterproof.

FIG. 20 illustrates a polymer shell for a hockey skate 960 including amoisture transfer liner.

FIG. 21 illustrates a soft shell inline skate (950) incorporating any ofthe insert materials of FIGS. 13-15 . The soft shell inline skate doesinclude some polymer shell materials identified as 920. Similar materialalso forms a part of the soft shell alpine boot of FIG. 18 although notexplicitly identified. In some options, the polymer shell material in920 can be eliminated from the soft alpine or skate boot, and in otheroptions the shell material may be increased to provide more support.

All nonwovens, foams, fabrics, materials or composites can have fibersflocked to either one or both sides. The flocked fiber blend may includesilver fibers by Foss Manufacturing.

While the present invention has been described above in connection withthe preferred embodiments, one of ordinary skill in the art would beenabled by this disclosure to make various modifications to thedisclosed embodiments and still be within the scope and spirit of thepresent invention as recited in the appended claims.

Any composite constructions or combination of composites in thisapplication may be applied to technical apparel, casual sportswear,protective clothing, snowboard or biking helmets, accessories, in-lineskates, ice skates, hockey skates, medical and industrial applications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A breathable, moisture transfer, antimicrobial,lightweight, soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product comprising: afirst layer 10 moisture transfer polyester fabric, cotton fabric,stretch fabric, nonwoven material or a combination thereof; a secondlayer moisture transfer, antimicrobial nonwoven material comprised ofshaped polymer fibers, grooved fibers, split fibers, hollow fibersantimicrobial silver fibers, and; an exterior shell nylon, polyester orcotton fabric, spacer fabric, leather material or a combination thereof.2. A breathable, lightweight, soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwearproduct according to claim 1, where the first layer lining fabricantimicrobial.
 3. A breathable, lightweight, soft-shell boot orlifestyle footwear product according to claim 1, wherein the boot orfootwear exterior shell material, fabrics, leather material or acombination thereof is treated with an waterproof membrane, encapsulatedtechnology, nanotechnology, thermally regulating, phase change coatingtechnology, or a combination thereof.
 4. A breathable, lightweight,soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product according to claim 2,wherein the boot or footwear exterior shell material, fabrics, leathermaterial or a combination thereof is treated with an waterproofmembrane, encapsulated technology, nanotechnology, thermally regulating,phase change coating technology or a combination thereof.
 5. Abreathable, lightweight, soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear productaccording to claim 1, wherein the boot or footwear composite combines abreathable, open cell foam material with the second layer 20 moisturetransfer, antimicrobial nonwoven material.
 6. A breathable, lightweight,soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product according to claim 2,wherein the boot or footwear composite combines a breathable, open cellfoam material with the second layer 20 moisture transfer, antimicrobialnonwoven material.
 7. A breathable, lightweight, soft-shell boot orlifestyle footwear product according to claim 5, wherein the breathablefoam material, and moisture transfer, antimicrobial nonwoven materialare attached to an encapsulated exterior shell fabric, leather materialor a combination thereof.
 8. A breathable, lightweight, soft-shell bootor lifestyle footwear product according to claim 6, wherein thebreathable foam material, and moisture transfer, antimicrobial nonwovenmaterial are attached to an encapsulated exterior shell fabric, leathermaterial or a combination thereof.
 9. A breathable, lightweight,soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product according to claim 5,wherein the breathable foam material, and moisture transfer,antimicrobial nonwoven material are attached to a breathable membraneand the exterior shell fabric, or leather material or a combinationthereof.
 10. A breathable, lightweight, soft-shell boot or lifestylefootwear product according to claim 1, wherein the breathable, foammaterial and moisture transfer, antimicrobial nonwoven material areattached to a breathable waterproof membrane and to the exterior shellfabric, leather material or a combination thereof.
 11. A breathable,lightweight, soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product according toclaim 1, wherein the nonwoven material is comprised of cotton, woodpulp, lyocell, silver fiber, PVA, acetate, polypropylene or polyesterfibers or a combination thereof.
 12. A breathable, lightweight,soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product according to claim 1,wherein the nonwoven material is comprised of a selection of shapedfibers, natural fibers, and synthetic fibers.
 13. A breathable,lightweight, soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product according toclaim 1, wherein the nonwoven material is comprised of polyester,acrylic, and acetate fibers.
 14. A breathable, lightweight, soft-shellboot or lifestyle footwear product according to claim 12, wherein thenonwoven material is comprised of polyester, acrylic, and acetatefibers.
 15. A breathable, lightweight, soft-shell boot or lifestylefootwear product according to claim 1, wherein the nonwoven is comprisedof wood pulp, cotton, corn, kapok, lyocell, acrylic, chlorofibre,acetate, wool, hemp, polypropylene, polyester, rayon, stretch fibers,elastin fibers, or a combination thereof.
 16. A breathable, lightweight,soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product comprising according toclaim 1, wherein the nonwoven material contains 4 Deep groove polyesterfibers or shaped polyester fibers.
 17. A breathable, lightweight,soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product comprising according toclaim 13, wherein the nonwoven material contains 4 Deep groove polyesterfibers or a shaped polyester fibers.
 18. A breathable, lightweight,soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product comprising according toclaim 14, wherein the nonwoven material contains 4 Deep groove polyesterfibers or a shaped polyester fibers.
 19. A breathable, lightweight,soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product comprising according toclaim 15, wherein the nonwoven material contains 4 Deep groove polyesterfibers or a shaped polyester fibers.
 20. A breathable, lightweight,soft-shell boot or lifestyle footwear product according to claim 12,wherein the breathable foam material, and moisture transfer,antimicrobial nonwoven material are attached to an encapsulated exteriorshell fabric, leather material, or a combination thereof.